The Next Telecom War

[Commentary] "Net neutrality is a distraction," argues Bruce Kushnick, of Teletruth, a broadband customer advocacy group. "As long as the telco and cable companies control the infrastructure and are allowed to vertically integrate all products (i.e., offer local and long distance, connection to the Internet, broadband and even wireless), they can control any activity or any competition over the networks, including all video. The only next step is to have common carriage returned: While the underlying infrastructure may be controlled by the incumbent, all applications and services should be allowed by all parties." Common carriage provides for a neutral telecommunications platform, whether it is for voice or video, data or music as well as if the signals are sent over a wire- or fiber-based network or via a wireless service. It would protect the interests of the content providers as well as end users. Further it prevents a network carrier from gaining unfair control over increasing aspects of the communications landscape, be it the ISP portion, the infrastructure or the content itself. This will likely turn out to be the major telecommunications battle if, as expected, a new Democratic administration takes office in January 2009. And, as with battles in the past to establish PBS, PEG set-asides, ITVS and the minority-programming services, indie filmmakers will be called to join the fight to protect their interests as media makers and as citizens.