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The authority and glue of sticking the Internet under Title II of the 1996 Telecom Act is a means to enact legislation without having to pass the muster of the Republican Congress which would not allow the enactment of any new taxes.

This is about taking control of the Internet and taxing the shit out of it.

BRC
http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

Professor George Stigler was right. Regulatory capture is real.

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People who employ lobbyists and have deep pockets are always in favor of regulation. It provides the vehicle for their wickedness over the long run.

If they don’t get what they want up front and en mass, they can just keep nibbling away at it until they get exactly what they want in the long game.

Say what you want about the NRA but they play the long game. The telcos are used to being regulated and will fill the bathtub and drown all of their competitors in the long run.

BRC
http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

I agree with the fact that government never creates competition. I should have been more clear. They should have done nothing aggressive on this issue, and said they will watch it. Interestingly, Mr. Market said this was a good deal for Comcast and the Telcos. I don’t think the tech people thought that would happen

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Let me be very careful — this blog post does not pick a fight with anyone as it relates to the last mile or the degree of competition. It suggests only that rules made in secret are typically made so because they cannot stand the light of day.

There is no instance I can think of wherein the government has ever massively increased competition — while there are innumerable instances of government anointing winners while quashing losers.

There are a number of instances wherein the government has force fed entire industries to create artificial winners when the market was putting nails in their coffins. The Stimulus is filled with money wasted wholesale on such things as Solyndra.

The government is trying to jam the Internet under Title II of the 1996 Telecom Act, in part, because it has taxing authority that could never make it through the Republican Congress today. No mistake about that.

In ATX, I have four choices for 1 Gig service. I pay less for 1 Gig than I did for its predecessor 65 Meg service. At my house, the last mile is not only not broken — it is screaming, rocking and rolling.

I know it’s Austin by God Texas and we are amongst the Tech Illuminati. I get that. But it starts here and spreads out.

I cannot embrace anything that is done as it relates to regulations and taxes when it is done in secret.

BRC
http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com