Network neutrality: Old issues never die

[Commentary] Just because a telecommunication system carries digital data it is not an information service. Just because a packet-switched network uses computers to switch and route data signals it is not an information service. Telecommunication networks are telecommunication services whether they carry voice, video, or data signals, and should be regulated and treated as common carriers. The information accessed over telecommunication networks are information, computing, or entertainment services and should not be regulated. The issues, just like decades ago, are unnecessarily made to appear complicated. Lawyers and lobbyists make a fortune, and politicians scratch their heads in delay and confusion. But being neither a lawyer, lobbyist, nor politician, the issues are as clear today in my mind as they were decades ago. If it looks like telecommunication involving transmission and switching, it is telecommunication ­ and should be treated as common carriage.