The Open Internet Coalition is a new alliance of 54 private companies and non-profits united behind the cause of cheaper broadband internet and the principle of network neutrality in the United States. Yesterday, the coalition issued an open letter to the US Congress and the President to take serious measures to preserve net neutrality and to lower the cost of broadband access, which currently trails at number 15 among other industrialized countries, according to the OECD.
I like how they describe net neutrality as a free market, economic issue, rather than an ethical one. Net Neutrality has been portrayed largely as a civil rights issue by the Save the Internet Coalition, which shares many of the same members. Instead, the letter talks about the need to "maximize
competition on next generation networks by guaranteeing access and by ensuring
that all networks interconnect and interoperate." That’s language that coalition members like Earthlink, eBay, Google, Skype, and Tivo can get behind.
Meanwhile, my personal broadband access has greatly reduced my competitive advantage. Time Warner Cable broadband service has been the pits for weeks, reducing me to dial-up level speeds. Ugh.