How the Internet Was Meant to Be

[Commentary] Won't established businesses like Netflix now have an advantage over startups because Netflix can pay Comcast for quality delivery? Established businesses always have advantages, but this objection completely misunderstands the significance of the Comcast-Netflix deal: Until its traffic is big enough to cause problems at the backbone level, a startup will have no trouble getting delivery to end-users over the public Internet.

Tragically, armies of lobbyists and fake "experts" by now have made their reputations around net neutrality. It's their Procrustean ticket to regulating the Internet and they aren't letting go. Let us quickly add that the new Federal Communications Commission chief Tom Wheeler fully understands what's what, but the Washington policy circus frequently can travel only at the pace of the dimmest congressman and most bloody-minded interest group. Having to face the hyperventilating overreaction to the proposed Time Warner-Comcast merger at the same time doesn't help matters. His great challenge, especially as a Democratic appointee, will be assuaging the demented sermons of the net-neut clergy without actually outlawing economically useful transactions.