Double Speak about Double Click
Art Brodsky at Public Knowledge has a great analysis of how the Telecomms are attacking Google at every turn and why. Bottom line is that it has nothing to do with Double Click or a possible Google Monopoly (amazing that the telecomms are accusing anyone else of a monopoly, don’tcha think?) It has to do with trying to destroy Google’s credibility so that when push comes to shove in policyland, Google will come off the loser. Art, as usual, does a fine job of pointing up the fact that the Telecomm cred is already in the toilet. The high point of the article is Art quoting Scott Cleland, currently one of the Bell Sock Puppets, at two different points- before and after his employment with the Bells.
Cleland in 1999;
“’Cable is the fifth wire into America’s homes,’ Cleland says. ‘The principle of nondiscrimination applies to the other four. The electric company cannot tell you what kind of brand of appliance to buy, the gas company can’t tell you what kind of furnace or stove to buy. The water company can’t tell you what kind of faucet or sink to buy. The telephone company can’t tell you what kind of or brand of phone to buy or who to do business with over your phone. Why should cable?’”
And Cleland in 2006. “In short, don’t be fooled by the superficial appeal of the net neutrality legislation. The idea is rotten to the core because it’s a heavy-handed fix to a nonexistent problem, and it’s a lousy cost-benefit trade off for consumers.”
Technorati Tags: Google, Double Click, Telecomm Tomfoolery, Net Neutrality
