Pro Net Competition: Op-Eds and Editorials
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Government controls on Internet growth, broadband expansion would kill investment
April 06, 2007 - link >>Scott Cleland, Maryland Gazette
Art Brodsky’s commentary (‘‘Access to high-speed Internet is an economic matter,” March 16) told readers the phone and cable companies were keeping secrets. Not so.
At a Feb. 27 legislative hearing, they made it no secret that it is the forces of free enterprise that have fed the rapid development and expansion of the Internet and stimulated broadband deployment.
Maryland delegates recently were considering imposing government controls on Internet growth and broadband expansion. The phone and cable companies strongly opposed the idea because government regulation would kill investment and stifle innovation.
Internet regulation would leave Maryland consumers with a doubtful broadband future and limit their enjoyment of high-bandwidth applications, such as video-streaming, that are becoming commonplace in daily Internet experience. YouTube, the new and popular video-streaming site, in its infancy is already using as much bandwidth as the entire Internet did in 2000.
U.S. companies plan to invest some $70 billion this year upgrading broadband infrastructure. For every $100 million invested in new networks, as many as 1,000 new jobs are created. For Maryland’s economy and its consumers and businesses to get their fair share of that investment, the state must maintain a regulatory climate that’s enticing.
An unneeded overlay of burdensome government controls isn’t exactly appetizing.
Maryland needs broadband investment. Marylanders want the latest Internet innovations. Maryland will be well served by the wise decision delegates have made to forego net regulation.
America’s Unique Internet Success
March 01, 2007 - link >>Scott Cleland, The Washington Times
A tech legislative priority of congressional Democrats, “net neutrality,” threatens America’s unique Internet success, because it would reverse America’s 11-year, bipartisan policy to promote competition and not regulate the Internet. Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, are co-sponsors of Dorgan-Snowe (S.215), a net neutrality bill that for the first time would mandate broadband provide equal treatment to all Internet content. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also supports net neutrality as does House Telecom Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey, who plans a series of hearings soon to promote net neutrality legislation. To justify massive new government intervention in the Internet marketplace, Democrats are busily manufacturing a “broadband crisis” and an “Internet blocking problem” that simply does not exist. Policymaking by false premise is always dangerous. It’s downright irresponsible when it threatens to undermine the unregulated Internet, one of the key engines of our nation’s economic and productivity growth.
Perspective: Net ignorance of the Christian Coalition
July 14, 2006 - link >>Dick Armey, Freedom Works, CNET
Sadly, this is not the first time leadership at the Christian Coalition of America has sided with the forces of big government and against good sense and the rest of the conservative movement.
In 2003, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley--also my friend and former House colleague--attempted to pass a voter referendum to broadly raise state taxes. The usual suspects--public employee unions and newspaper editorial boards--all applauded the effort to hike taxes by more than a billion dollars a year. Among those in the cheering section was the national Christian Coalition, which loudly supported this tax increase on Alabama families.
Hands off the Internet
June 26, 2006 - link >>Chicago Tribune
A Net Loser: Google And Moveon.Org Say They Want To Help You. Look Out.
June 24, 2006 - link >>The Wall Street Journal
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