Verizon guy on net neutrality

Declan over at News.com has an interview with a guy named Thomas Tauke, Verizon's lead lobbyist in the neutrality wars. It's worth a read.

Of course there is plenty of spin in there, but what is most revealing is that he is specific about what he wants and doesn't want. He understands the legislative process and focuses his efforts accordingly. (If the savetheinternet folks had either of those characteristics they might be more effective. Not that I want them to!)

I am sure some neutrality proponents will view him in the grotesque. I largely agree with him on the merits, and I am fully aware of his motives and interests. Those motives are no different than, say, Sergey Brin's or Meg Whitman's.

His basic argument is that we should regulate only in the presence of specific problems, and to craft the legislation narrowly to address it. Given the myriad concepts of neutrality out there, a vaguely-defined law will have huge unintended consequences.

He would apply this even to his opponents:

We have never tried to visit the worst aspects of regulation on other industries. There has always been a time when people have said, "Let's dump this on cable." Generally our posture has been that if regulation is hindering the development of an industry, we ought to get rid of that regulation, not visit it on others. I don't think we have any interest in visiting those proposed regulations on Microsoft, Amazon, Google or any of the other players in the Internet space.

Again, I know his arguments are moneyed and self-interested, but it is also a serious discussion from a powerful guy. Give it a read.

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