Can the FCC Turn a Network Neutrality Triple Play?

[Commentary] Despite the remarkably large amount of coverage and analysis of the network neutrality debate, not everyone appreciates the wants, needs and desires of the major stakeholders.

Let’s step back and consider their motivations and incentives of the three primary stakeholders: consumers, retail ISPs and upstream carriers and sources of content. The Federal Communications Commission faces an extraordinary quandary in trying to forge a compromises that satisfices these three constituencies.

No one can achieve total satisfaction here. Consumers will have to pay more for broadband. Retail ISPs will not have unlimited opportunities to raise rates, particularly for content sources that can get by without prioritization of traffic absent deliberate strategies by retail ISPs to degrade basic service. Content providers -- particularly the major causes for ever increasing bandwidth demand -- will have to pay more as well.