http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125329467451823485.html

 

This is the beginning of the end of the internet's freedom from political manipulation.

 

When all ISPs are required to behave in the same way, there is no substantive difference between them. This will stagnate growth and innovation in the internet. In freedom and capitalism, you have to take the bad with the good - it encourages change. In socialism, everyone has an equally shitty existence - including your grandchildren.

 

An analogy would be government regulation on vehicles. With all the rules, car manufacturers have basically been making the same cars for the last 50 years, but with very minor changes (heated seats, anyone?). This is the way it's about to be with the internet. Zero incentive to increase bandwidth for everyone by charging some people more for extra bandwidth use.

Three cheers for the government!

For those who are interested (HAAAAY Nicky-poo! *kiss*), here's a paper from the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics that deals with exactly the issue at hand:

 

http://mises.org/journals/qjae/pdf/qjae12_1_2.pdf