Beyond convergence: a new policy paradigm for information technology

[Commentary] We’ve been discussing technological “convergence” in one way or another for at least 25 years. 25 years ago, convergence meant that we might soon be sending voice, data, and video over the same wire. Telephone, cable, fax, and television, in other words, might mush together.

In the last few years, however, the tensions between technological reality and our outdated communications laws have reached a breaking point. No matter which side one took in the network neutrality wars, it became apparent to nearly all — including legislators, regulators, and judges — that the 1934 and 1996 Acts governing communications no longer fit the world in which we live. Some tried to force our converged world into the old silos, but it didn’t work. Political upheaval in Washington may come with challenges. But one advantage is that it provides an opportunity to sweep away this legal clutter. With some luck and good will on both sides, it may even lead to a durable, bipartisan framework that can propel the technology economy for decades to come.

[Bret Swanson president of Entropy Economics LLC]