The Rockethouse

The case against net neutrality

I’m not sure net neutrality is a good thing. Here’s why:

1. Networks have to throttle traffic when there is congestion
2. If networks can’t selectively prioritize traffic during congestion, they must resort to random dropping of packets
   
3. Throttling randomly leads to unfair application quality of experience impacts
   
4. We want convergence of our phone, our mobile, our tv, our computer, etc… And carriers want to give it us (and they will give it to us).
   
5. If networks aren’t able to deliver these applications (tv, phone, mobile, etc…) with expected quality of experience on a shared IP network, they will deliver them on multiple, un-shared, networks. Re-birth of the walled garden. Content locked in protected, private networks and inaccessible except from certain devices.
6. If networks CAN selectively prioritize traffic during contestion, then converged applications CAN be delivered with high quality of experience, even during periods of conestion. Convergence will happen at the IP layer. Content and data is available to all applications and devices on any IP network.

I will expand on each of these points in subsequent posts, but that’s the gist of it.