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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On Thursday 26 February 2015 08:44 AM,
David Cake wrote:<br>
</div>
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cite="mid:859F3803-5176-4BFE-86E1-C26B1C2B0960@difference.com.au"
type="cite">
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This certainly seems to be a positive decision, and I welcome it.
<div>However, regulation like a public utility, and in the public
interest, are not quite the same thing.</div>
</blockquote>
<br>
Yes, they are not the same thing. Public utility regulation is a
subset of a larger universe of regulation in public interest. In
fact all regulation is in public interest, but all regulation is not
as intrusive to be called public utility regulation. For instance,
even title 1 regulation by FCC is regulating the Internet in public
interest, but here as more or less a normal commercial activity.
Putting the Internet under title 2, which the FCC decision is
expected to do, makes it more like a public utility regulation,
recognising the Internet's exceptional social importance. <br>
<br>
Do note that the cited NY article does say that is that the FCC is
"expected on Thursday to approve regulating Internet service like a
public utility". <br>
<br>
Further, this is a fact, as Seth also says, that such descriptions
as 'public interest regulation' for the Internet, or even the use of
the word 'public good' (another word the article uses for the
Internet) , was largely a no-no in dominant global IG discourse,
till just a few months back, and a very larger number of people on
this elist will vehemently oppose any use of these terms in relation
to the Internet.<br>
<br>
This when civil society is supposed to be on the vanguard of a more
radical progressive discourse. Now, when the US government - that
great defender of free markets, globally - brings in regulation
based on these very progressive concepts , which such a large number
of people in this group had either vehemently opposed or silently
been unenthusiastic about, Michael has a right to point out what he
see as a political irony. His is simply a political statement, and
if this forum is not for making political statements and arguments,
I do not know what it is. Political history is an important part of
contemporary politics, and if it needs to be asserted, it must be. <br>
<br>
BTW, in its points 2 and 3, the Delhi Declaration of the Just Net
Coalition respectively uses the terms 'public utility' and 'public
good' in relation to the Internet. <br>
<br>
parminder<br>
<br>
<blockquote
cite="mid:859F3803-5176-4BFE-86E1-C26B1C2B0960@difference.com.au"
type="cite">
<div> A good fit for the current US situation (in which
alternative forms of regulation were specifically struck down by
the courts), but regulation like a public utility may not be the
best public interest solution for all nations. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Only one sentence, Michael, and you manage to fit in both an
unhelpful oversimplification of the issue, AND a pointless,
inaccurate, and nasty swipe at your civil society colleagues.
Efficient. </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Cheers</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>David</div>
<div><br>
<div>
<div>On 26 Feb 2015, at 10:12 am, Michael Gurstein <<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:gurstein@gmail.com">gurstein@gmail.com</a>>
wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div link="blue" vlink="purple" style="font-family:
Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal;
font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing:
normal; line-height: normal; orphans: auto; text-align:
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" lang="EN-CA">
<div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;
font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,
sans-serif;" lang="EN-US">Contrary to the position
of so much of CS in IG, Mr. Obama appears to be set
on developing a regulatory framework for the US that
ensures that the Internet will operate in the public
interest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt;
font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,
sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size:
12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/25/technology/path-clears-for-net-neutrality-ahead-of-fcc-vote.html"
style="color: purple; text-decoration:
underline;"><span style="color: windowtext;">http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/25/technology/path-clears-for-net-neutrality-ahead-of-fcc-vote.html</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size:
12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,
sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size:
12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span
style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri,
sans-serif;">M<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size:
12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p> </o:p></div>
</div>
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