Welcome to the Valentines Day 2007 edition of carnival of entrepreneurs. I’d like to thank all the submitters for sharing their articles. If you have a minute to spare after wooing your lover, you should spend some time browsing these thoughtful …

Again, thanks for your well written and thought out comments. You raise some good points. I’d like to briefly refute a couple of them, and agree with some others.

HOTI -

Google’s profits have skyrocketed as of late, however, I don’t really think this has anything to do with the net neutrality issue. They will be affected by a two tier internet, however, these profits have been earned in the current, equal landscape. By supporting a neutral internet, Google does not seek to gain any kind of advantage - things will remain as they are. Google is seeking to prevent telcos from gaining a competitive advantage.

I agree that Google is supporting net neutrality out of selfish interests (a neutral internet is simply cheaper for them), however, this does not make the issue any less important.

Harry -

I agree that the propagation and public uptake of the net neutrality issue is fascinating, especially from your point of view and experience. However, I don’t share your point of view that the issue only impacts large companies like the telcos and Google. Yes, Google’s costs would increase substantially on a two tier internet. Honestly though, they would probably have no problem bearing the cost.

The issue of network neutrality affects all of us, especially entrepreneurs trying to start competing businesses. This is the point of view I was trying to argue in my first post - that a non-neutral network will create extremely high barriers to entry on an internet that has traditionally had none.

To all -

This is the issue that I would like to bring the discussion back to. I would like to specifically discuss how network neutrality affects the little guys, entrepreneurs and startup companies in particular. If anyone has opinions on how cash strapped entrepreneurs will be able to compete with Google, Yahoo, etc on a non-neutral internet, please share!

Thanks for responding to my comment and taking a look at my website. I greatly appreciate your feedback and views.

I’m actually agnostic on the merits/demerits of net neutrality. Rather, I’m more interested, as someone that’s been in the persuasion business, in how the issue was created, disseminated and nurtured — and particularly how it became such a partisan issue. In my humble view, the Internet and this nation’s policy on broadband and information networks has not been helped by a lot of the misinformation propagated by both sides. My website will delve into that in future posts.

Could you tell me when and how you became aware of net neutrality? Was it before December 2005? I ask, because that’s when the infamous Ed Whitacre remarks about companies using his network “for free” in Business Week became public. By March 2006 AT&T had announced it was merging with BellSouth and that’s when the Net Neutrality propaganda machine when into action.

Many thanks for this opportunity to share views.

“This is very good news for Google. It also underscores how unfair it is that Google is advocating net neutrality regulations in an attempt to gain a competititve advantage at the cost of the providers of the backbone of the internet. Google knows that net neutrality will severely impair the ability of companies, such as Verizon, to continue rolling out costly service improvements, such as FIOS.”

http://nbjr.speakupwny.com/profit-for-google-nearly-triples/2007/02/01/

Thanks for linking to your article and providing the opposing viewpoint! One of my favorite things about blogging is that instant discussion and feedback.

I do have to disagree with some of your points though. Your AOL/TCI argument is correct, however, 1990’s telco politicking is somewhat irrelevant today.

Your article makes it seem as though Google and company will gain some giant advantage over AT&T and friends on a neutral internet. However, a neutral internet is exactly what it sounds like. Anyone may send any data to anyone, with equal preference. In fact, by creating a tiered internet, AT&T and it’s brethern are attempting to destroy the equal marketplace as it exists today, and gain their own competitive advantage over everyone else.

Your article references a “wacky group” that thinks the issue is about the protection of “little websites, bloggers, and entrepreneurs”, however, you don’t back it up with any facts. You also don’t address how entrepreneurs will be able to compete on a tiered internet. You’ve argued against net neutrality, but haven’t refuted the arguments for it.

Net neutrality is nothing more than an elaborate business negotiation between Google and the ISPs, dressed up as a public policy issue. Google and other companies have effectively used the “activist anti-industrial” complex as a bullhorn to push their agenda.

See how their doing it at http://www.thenetneutralityshow.org