Connecting The Telecom Dots Behind 'Net Neutrality' (Hint: It's About The Money)

[Commentary] It is misleading to say that the current debate over Network Neutrality and the open Internet is about the Net. The current debate over Net Neutrality and the open Internet is not about the Net. It's not about Neutrality. It's not about openness. It's about you. It's about Personal Internet Freedom vs. Corporate Internet Control. It's all about the money.

There's a reason that Verizon and AT&T and Comcast and the rest of the crew are spending millions of dollars on their lobbying, campaign contributions, front groups and academics to beat up on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Congress, state regulators, state legislators and anybody else who gets in their way. It's not for any particular principle. It's not because of some disagreement over arcane issues in telecommunications law. It's so they can shape today's Internet to their liking, and make money from it as they want the Internet to be, and what they want isn't pretty.

They want two things:

1) To do what they want, including destroying (or at least severely restricting) the Internet as we know it.

2) To do it without any government oversight or consumer protection.