<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 10:41 AM, Harry Penner <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:hpenner@gmail.com">hpenner@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
At the risk of flames: the Internet as we know it has flourished in<br>
large part because its original sponsor, the federal government, has<br>
mostly left it alone. Why do we think adding government regulations<br>
to it will make it better (or preserve the freedom we enjoy on it)?<br>
Generally speaking, doesn't regulation take away freedom rather than<br>
increasing it, by definition? I'm no futurist but it seems to me that<br>
putting restrictions on the big guys is likely to affect us little<br>
guys in some unforeseen but unpleasant way.<br>
<br>
Sorry if the above sounds trollish but I just think we should be<br>
careful what we ask for. With companies you can usually vote with<br>
your feet to try to change or avoid their bad behavior, but<br>
regulations are usually universal and forever... And the regs will<br>
surely by written by people not nearly as close to or as thoughtful<br>
about the problem as we tclug'ers...<br>
<br>
Seems to me we ought to show up and tell the FCC to keep their paws off us.<br>
<font color="#888888"><br>
-Harry<br>
</font><div><div></div><div class="h5"><br></div></div></blockquote><div><br>Harry, <br>
<br>
How about instead of making sweeping generalizations you make <br>
a case for your position with supporting arguments. Regulation <br>
is no less a double-edged sword than an absence of regulation. <br>How does net-neutrality regulation harm us? How does the <br>absence of net-neutrality regulation help us? Do you even <br>properly understand the topic you are debating, and do you know<br>
for a fact the federal government mostly left the internet alone <br>after funding its creation and development, or does it just seem <br>that way to you for other reasons? <br>
<br>
I don't think you should apologize for your comments sounding <br>
trollish. I think you should apologize for making trollish comments.<br>
<br>
I can already see this thread spinning away into the land of <br>
rhetoric. <br>
<br>-Rob<br><br></div></div>