The first approach (letting the market forces solve things on their own) would work well if it were easy and inexpensive to get into the ISP business while building an infrastructure to support a broadband pipe sufficient enough handle the range of users, content, and applications needed to ensure true competition.
An alternative path, requiring the opening of ISP networks, could be viewed as a heavy-handed approach, though it does remove some of the burden from the private sector in deciding how and when to upgrade the network.
In my opinion, there needs to be a compromise between public and private sectors if there's to be a regulatory model that fosters innovation and competition that can be spread to all corners of the country.
But, from where I'm sitting, it appears that the FCC is going to regulate the ISPs. I don't see any other way around it. I'm not for heavy-handed regulation, but I don't see how else true open access can be accomplished.
— Leonard Grace, a cable industry vet, is a telecom strategist and blogger. He can be reached at [email protected]. Special to
Did you really mean ASP - Access Service Provider? I know it is common that this is the same company as the ISP, but it is not clear that ISP openness is as potentially important as ASP openness for net neutrality.
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