What Should the Government Role be in Ensuring an Open Internet?

[SOURCE: The Jeff Pulver Blog]
[Commentary] For the past few years, many of us have been prophesizing the emerging battle between Internet Application Providers and Internet Access Providers. There is no longer any doubt in my mind that we are witnessing the emergence of the new battle for control over the Internet and communications. I have some concerns that we might see the emergence of two Internets -- one an ever-evolving and progressing privately-controlled Internet, and the other an increasingly dilapidated publicly-accessible Internet with minimal quality and capacity. Will the emergence of a government supported Internet onramp ensure a quality public Internet or undermine the efforts of private enterprise? Will the public Internet be a dirt road (albeit free), while the privately-controlled Internet will be of top-quality but will not allow users access to the full-range of content and applications that the Internet could offer? How do we maintain the quality of a public road? Does it simply degenerate into a neglected back road traveled by only the disenfranchised members of the community? And does the establishment of the public road undermine private efforts to build the best, next-generation broadband networks? Would we relive the fiascoes experienced by the public projects of failed Communist states, in which they built publicly-owned facilities without any financial incentive and which ultimately led to their deterioration and an inability to meet the development and progress of an enlightened capitalist economy? It is times like this that I look around for my time machine, my crystal ball, my ability to see the alternate futures. I still sense that much good can come from publicly-supported broadband networks, particularly where industry has not stepped up to the plate. At a minimum, I think we could use some government support to build out private, but open networks. I would like to think that the open and public Internet access projects would serve as a check to ensure that the privately-owned Internet access builds will also remain open and discourage the Internet Access Providers from building walled-gardens with less user control and access to the broadest array of Internet applications and content. But I have heard arguments on both sides. I am however, happy to see that the issues are now front and center and we are finally embarking upon an open and public debate over the more subtle, nuanced issues involved.
http://pulverblog.pulver.com/archives/003519.html
* Jeff Pulver is the Chairman and Founder of pulver.com, and a pioneer of the Internet telephony/VoIP industry