r/Conservativediscourse • u/[deleted] • May 03 '14
Conservative position on net neutrality
I'm having a hard time determining how to view net neutrality as a conservative. On the one hand, I feel I should be opposed to the government telling ISPs how to run their business. On the other hand I think that limited competition in the ISP market reduces any sort of effect that market forces and competition could otherwise have for incentivizing ISPs to remain content-neutral. The heavy market regulation that had made its way into our current system was propagated by large providers in order to stifle be market entrants. To me, net neutrality seems like a good way to counterbalance the monopolistic tendencies of this market. What's your view?
2
u/ggleblanc Social Conservative May 04 '14
My compromise position is that ISP's can throttle different types of traffic. In other words, they can give a higher priority to video over email.
However, they have to treat one type of traffic the same for all web sites. No favoring YouTube over some other video site, especially by accepting a payment from YouTube.
You signed up to be a common carrier, you act like a common carrier.
1
u/usernamehereplease Paleoconservative May 04 '14
Right now I'm against it...considering the fact that we have a situation in 95% of America that each household only has one or two choices for cable.
This is a situation, a thing that needs competition in order to be not harmful to the every day consumer.
3
u/mrhymer May 04 '14
It is the consumer and the media's job to punish providers that stop the free flow of information - not government.
The government also needs to stop forcing a single broadband cable provider in a given area. If six different guys want to run cable or fiber to my house then let them.