New at Reason: Peter Suderman on the War Over Net Neutrality

January 6, 2010

For years, Internet search giant Google has been pushing the Federal Communications Commission to step up Net neutrality regulations. By forcing Internet service providers to treat each and every piece of information that passes through their systems equally, Net neutrality regulations would arguably give Google the upper hand in its dealings with ISPs, which would be constrained in how they choose to manage their networks. Google claims its support for neutrality is in the public interest, but the reality is that it is self-interestedly seeking to impose regulatory restrictions on its business partners and competitors. Yet as Associate Editor Peter Suderman writes, by pursuing this approach—calling for regulations that may or may not bolster the public good but certainly bolster their business model—Google has opened itself to similar attacks from its competitors.

View this article.