Not So Neutral: The Debate Over 'Net Neutrality' Is Roiling the World Wide Web; Moby vs. Welfare for Billionaires
on Wall Street Journal
by Dionne Searcery and Amy Schatz, June 14, 2006
When it comes to the brewing debate over "Net neutrality," there's nothing neutral about it -- especially on the Net.
In one corner of the World Wide Web, a group of singers dubbing itself The Broadband croons "God Save the Internet," while in another, a video warns of the dangers of a "socialized Internet."
People on both sides of the issue -- but mostly those who favor Net neutrality, or treating all Internet traffic the same -- have turned to the Web to get out their messages in a complicated debate before Congress now. More than a dozen online videos sound off on whether Congress should let cable and phone companies create a two-tiered Internet that could end up with content providers, such as Google Inc., paying to ensure speedier delivery of their services.
Should the Net be neutral? Craiglist founder Craig Newmark, a net neutrality proponent, and former White House spokesman Mike McCurry, who heads a phone industry group, debate the issue in Reply All2.
Much of the Web debate is financed by an alliance of liberal interest groups, such as MoveOn.org, and high-tech companies, such as Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc., on one side, and by the telecom industry, which is relying more heavily on traditional lobbying, on the other. Both sides are flying pro-Internet flags with themes like "defenders of the Internet" (for many of the Democrats and high-tech firms) and "hands off the Internet" (for many of the Republicans and phone and cable companies that sell Internet connections).
One of the video clips, which was produced by MoveOn.org, features the musician Moby trying to convince confused pedestrians outside of the U.S. Capitol to support laws that would force phone and cable companies to treat all Internet traffic equally as it flows over their networks. Over on telecom-backed NetCompetition.org, the video warning of "a socialized Internet," decries "corporate welfare for dot-com billionaires."
Then there is "Ask a Ninja." In "Net Neutrality Ninja," a man in a black Ninja outfit offers a comic rant about the dangers of giving Internet providers too much control over content. If that happens he warns that some of the more off-beat offerings could disappear. "That's what the Internet is all about, people in funny hats making things that people like," says the Ninja.
Filmed in the Los Angeles apartment of Kent Nichols, a comedian, the video has been seen more than 290,000 times on YouTube.com and was referenced last week during debate on the House floor over a Net neutrality law. Mr. Nichols, 30 years old, came up with the video while struggling to explain the issue to his business partner. He says he wasn't paid to do the video.
As their networks become increasingly clogged with high-capacity services, phone and cable companies want to be able to strike deals with content companies that will offer speedy delivery for music and videos, for example. But smaller content companies worry they'll be priced out of the market, and consumer groups fear it would give cable and phone companies too much power over content.
Adding urgency to the debate is an upcoming fight in the Senate. Prospects don't look good for the Net-neutrality fans, who lost in the House, where lawmakers killed a Democratic amendment to toughen Net-neutrality rules.
"We know we're not going to win this fight inside the Beltway," says Alan Davidson, Google's top lobbyist, who guided co-founder Sergey Brin around Congress last week to personally appeal to key senators.
While the underlying themes of "equality of access" and "stifling regulation" are relatively simple, everyone on both sides is struggling to explain the issue.
"I'm trying to figure out a way to shorten 'proscriptive government controls over products and services delivered over the Internet' into one or two words. It ain't easy!" a Hill aide groused recently. Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska told a group of cable executives last week, "The more I seek to find what the problem is, the harder job I have of trying to define it."
Enter the vocal blogger community and online crowd, who are taking a stab at mustering support for their views.
To that end, The Broadband -- three female vocalists who formed the band solely to promote Net neutrality -- sing, "Some of the folks in our Congress want to send us back to the days of the Pony Express and slow our speediness....Jesus wouldn't mess with our Internet." They are aligned with savetheinternet.com, a coalition of mostly left-leaning groups including MoveOn.org, but also the Christian Coalition of America.
While several economists and telecom wonks have blogged in favor of the side of the phone and cable companies, they're in the minority online. In early May, Verizon Communications Inc. emailed an invitation for a blogger-only conference call, since "those pushing Net neutrality, egged on by MoveOn.org, have had this debate mostly to themselves," according to the email. On the call were some bloggers who already had their mind made up about the issue, and they weren't on Verizon's side.
To help get their message out online, the phone companies hired former Clinton press secretary Mike McCurry to lead their PR effort. Mr. McCurry has waded into the debate on popular blogs, such as the Huffington Post. They also enlisted the help of Scott Cleland, a former independent telecom analyst who's now being paid as advocate for the Internet providers.
"It comes down to intelligent arguments, not just frenzy," said David Fish, a spokesman for Verizon, which, along with other phone and cable companies, insists it has no plans to block Internet sites.
Outspent and out-manned by phone and cable companies in Washington, high-tech firms in particular are counting on activists on the Web. EBay Inc.'s Meg Whitman recently emailed a personal appeal to more than a million of the online auction site's members telling them that the phone and cable companies want to create a "pay-to-play, high-speed toll road" system that only the largest companies could afford to access. MoveOn.org has enlisted help from more than 10,000 users of MySpace.com to sign up as friends of the campaign.
Because of all the rhetoric, Net neutrality has become such a hot-button issue that some companies have found themselves the target of advocates who are quick to jump on any kink in Internet service as a new battlefield in the debate. Recently, bloggers sent out fiery missives against Cox Communications Inc. because some subscribers had trouble accessing online classifieds Web site Craigslist. Turns out it was an incompatibility problem between Craigslist and Cox's security software that is being remedied.
"We don't block or otherwise impede access to any legal Web site," said David Grabert, a spokesman for Cox. "Unfortunately, a few customers who experienced this difficulty drew the wrong conclusions about what was happening."
by Dionne Searcery and Amy Schatz, June 14, 2006
When it comes to the brewing debate over "Net neutrality," there's nothing neutral about it -- especially on the Net.
In one corner of the World Wide Web, a group of singers dubbing itself The Broadband croons "God Save the Internet," while in another, a video warns of the dangers of a "socialized Internet."
People on both sides of the issue -- but mostly those who favor Net neutrality, or treating all Internet traffic the same -- have turned to the Web to get out their messages in a complicated debate before Congress now. More than a dozen online videos sound off on whether Congress should let cable and phone companies create a two-tiered Internet that could end up with content providers, such as Google Inc., paying to ensure speedier delivery of their services.
Should the Net be neutral? Craiglist founder Craig Newmark, a net neutrality proponent, and former White House spokesman Mike McCurry, who heads a phone industry group, debate the issue in Reply All2.
Much of the Web debate is financed by an alliance of liberal interest groups, such as MoveOn.org, and high-tech companies, such as Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc., on one side, and by the telecom industry, which is relying more heavily on traditional lobbying, on the other. Both sides are flying pro-Internet flags with themes like "defenders of the Internet" (for many of the Democrats and high-tech firms) and "hands off the Internet" (for many of the Republicans and phone and cable companies that sell Internet connections).
One of the video clips, which was produced by MoveOn.org, features the musician Moby trying to convince confused pedestrians outside of the U.S. Capitol to support laws that would force phone and cable companies to treat all Internet traffic equally as it flows over their networks. Over on telecom-backed NetCompetition.org, the video warning of "a socialized Internet," decries "corporate welfare for dot-com billionaires."
Then there is "Ask a Ninja." In "Net Neutrality Ninja," a man in a black Ninja outfit offers a comic rant about the dangers of giving Internet providers too much control over content. If that happens he warns that some of the more off-beat offerings could disappear. "That's what the Internet is all about, people in funny hats making things that people like," says the Ninja.
Filmed in the Los Angeles apartment of Kent Nichols, a comedian, the video has been seen more than 290,000 times on YouTube.com and was referenced last week during debate on the House floor over a Net neutrality law. Mr. Nichols, 30 years old, came up with the video while struggling to explain the issue to his business partner. He says he wasn't paid to do the video.
As their networks become increasingly clogged with high-capacity services, phone and cable companies want to be able to strike deals with content companies that will offer speedy delivery for music and videos, for example. But smaller content companies worry they'll be priced out of the market, and consumer groups fear it would give cable and phone companies too much power over content.
Adding urgency to the debate is an upcoming fight in the Senate. Prospects don't look good for the Net-neutrality fans, who lost in the House, where lawmakers killed a Democratic amendment to toughen Net-neutrality rules.
"We know we're not going to win this fight inside the Beltway," says Alan Davidson, Google's top lobbyist, who guided co-founder Sergey Brin around Congress last week to personally appeal to key senators.
While the underlying themes of "equality of access" and "stifling regulation" are relatively simple, everyone on both sides is struggling to explain the issue.
"I'm trying to figure out a way to shorten 'proscriptive government controls over products and services delivered over the Internet' into one or two words. It ain't easy!" a Hill aide groused recently. Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska told a group of cable executives last week, "The more I seek to find what the problem is, the harder job I have of trying to define it."
Enter the vocal blogger community and online crowd, who are taking a stab at mustering support for their views.
To that end, The Broadband -- three female vocalists who formed the band solely to promote Net neutrality -- sing, "Some of the folks in our Congress want to send us back to the days of the Pony Express and slow our speediness....Jesus wouldn't mess with our Internet." They are aligned with savetheinternet.com, a coalition of mostly left-leaning groups including MoveOn.org, but also the Christian Coalition of America.
While several economists and telecom wonks have blogged in favor of the side of the phone and cable companies, they're in the minority online. In early May, Verizon Communications Inc. emailed an invitation for a blogger-only conference call, since "those pushing Net neutrality, egged on by MoveOn.org, have had this debate mostly to themselves," according to the email. On the call were some bloggers who already had their mind made up about the issue, and they weren't on Verizon's side.
To help get their message out online, the phone companies hired former Clinton press secretary Mike McCurry to lead their PR effort. Mr. McCurry has waded into the debate on popular blogs, such as the Huffington Post. They also enlisted the help of Scott Cleland, a former independent telecom analyst who's now being paid as advocate for the Internet providers.
"It comes down to intelligent arguments, not just frenzy," said David Fish, a spokesman for Verizon, which, along with other phone and cable companies, insists it has no plans to block Internet sites.
Outspent and out-manned by phone and cable companies in Washington, high-tech firms in particular are counting on activists on the Web. EBay Inc.'s Meg Whitman recently emailed a personal appeal to more than a million of the online auction site's members telling them that the phone and cable companies want to create a "pay-to-play, high-speed toll road" system that only the largest companies could afford to access. MoveOn.org has enlisted help from more than 10,000 users of MySpace.com to sign up as friends of the campaign.
Because of all the rhetoric, Net neutrality has become such a hot-button issue that some companies have found themselves the target of advocates who are quick to jump on any kink in Internet service as a new battlefield in the debate. Recently, bloggers sent out fiery missives against Cox Communications Inc. because some subscribers had trouble accessing online classifieds Web site Craigslist. Turns out it was an incompatibility problem between Craigslist and Cox's security software that is being remedied.
"We don't block or otherwise impede access to any legal Web site," said David Grabert, a spokesman for Cox. "Unfortunately, a few customers who experienced this difficulty drew the wrong conclusions about what was happening."
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