Saving the Internet, One Crude Animation at a Time

Michael Giberson

Anti-net neutrality campaign Hands Off the Internet wants to show it, too, can be “hip” to the ways of the kids on the internet. To show how “with it” they are, they’ve put together a purposely crudely-drawn animation explaining the dangers of net neutrality. Similarly crude economic reasoning underlies their voice-over. The basic message: net neutrality means consumers will have to pay for enhancements to the internet instead of big corporations that make billions of dollars online.

One set of big companies says policy X is absolutely necessary to protect consumers. Another set of big companies says policy not-X is absolutely necessary to protect consumers. What makes me think that this whole thing is not about protecting consumers?

Pro-net neutrality campaign Savetheinternet.com says:

If Net Neutrality is so bad for consumers, why do ALL the major consumer groups support it and ALL the major phone companies oppose it? Who do you trust more to defend your Internet rights? Without meaningful protections of Net Neutrality, there will be less choice on the Internet and higher prices, at a time we’re already falling far behind the rest of the world.

Scary isn’t it? Falling behind the rest of the world, and all. But let me answer their question, “Who do I trust more to defend (my) internet rights?” My answer: the companies that I’m a paying customer of, and who I can switch away from if and when I don’t like their policies. It certainly isn’t the government that gives us politically-driven enforcement of “decency” regulations for broadcast radio and TV. Do we want the same FCC that does decency for broadcast radio and TV to be our tax-paid protector of net neutrality?

Ask me “who do I trust more to defend my movie-going rights?” I gotta go with markets. Same thing for the internet. If there were a monopoly provider of internet connections in my area, I might be worried. Maybe I’d want assurance in my contract that the ISP won’t block my choice of content. Maybe I’d even consider regulatory oversight as a possibility. But that isn’t the world we live in.

C’mon, kids, monopoly pipes and wires are soooo last century. Get with the times.