Net Neutrality

Network neutrality has become a hotly debated topic these past few years. Should ISPs be allowed to restrict data on their networks? Net neutrality advocates that ISP should not restrict data of any kind, weather it is website, services, or protocols.

If the ISP are privately held companies, then I see no reason as to why the government or any other body should enforce regulation upon the company to offer its services to its customers. The contract between the ISPs and their customers is of mutual consent, otherwise such a contract would not exists. Generally there are also multiple ISP from which a customer may choose to do business with. If one ISP decides to block www.google.com, then customers who find Google valuable would either seek to change the contract with their current ISP or move to another. It is possible that there may only be one source of internet for a customer. The customer can demand that the ISP provide unrestricted access to the network, but the company is under no obligation to comply. The network is the property of the ISP and it is free to do as it chooses with it as long as it does not interfere with the property of others. There is no place in either situation for the government to come in and regulate the ISPs. Humans do not have a 'right to the internet' simply because we do not have a right to the property of others.

This is not to say that I am against an open internet in which I am free to do as I please. I would most certainly prefer that ISPs behave according to the principles of net neutrality. My point is that I do not believe the government has any role in forcing others to comply with its will, even if it is best for society. The government may of course create its own service, although I would rather this not happen for two reasons. The first is simply that I do not want the government touching my data (although it already does), and the second is that I would then be taxed for this service and this tax would be me paying for the a service provided to others. I am not obligated to pay for a service to any other human, especially if it is not a right, and no one has a right to the internet.

If the airlines were to initiate pat downs and screenings to thwart terrorist threats my view would be the same. (Note that they are not doing this, it is the TSA that is doing this. Airlines probably would not do much of this because they have feedback mechanize, the cost of the screeners and the annoyance to customers built in. The TSA does not have this, which is why it is so inefficient.) I am personally against it, but I am not allowed to use force to make the airlines comply with my will. The airlines are allowed to act as they please as long as what they does not interfere with the rights of others.

So I believe that I have made it clear that I am for net neutrality but against the regulation or forcing of net neutrality onto ISPs. My views primarily stem from that of the Libertarians. Several works have influenced my thinking, here are a few: http://mises.org/rothbard/ethics/ethics.asp, http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=arc_ayn_rand_man_rights, http://mises.org/daily/1646.