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Crying Net-Neutrality Wolf
Real infringements are going to be hard to get away with

We've already discussed how the hyperbole packed net-neutrality debate has led to multiple instances where users assumed ordinary outages were the result of providers doing something menacing. So far this year we've seen both a network issue between BellSouth and LLNW (LimeLight Networks) and a problem with Cox security software preventing Craigslist access - blamed on net neutrality infractions when there were less dramatic reasons for the problems.

We again saw it yesterday, as a problem that prevented Comcast customers from accessing Google services was blamed by some forum regulars on network neutrality issues (Comcast ultimately said it was a DNS hardware issue). As Carlo over at Techdirt notes, this is probably a good thing: if customers are so sensitive to these issues when it's a false-alarm, how could any incumbent actually get away with blocking or impeding services?

It's for this reason that many people who oppose incumbent blocking or de-prioritization of competing traffic don't think net-neutrality laws are necessary - though not for the same reasons as the "deregulate everything and Utopia cometh" crowd. The Internet community may just be able to effectively self-police on this issue, and legislation coined by individuals who don't understand how the Internet works could cause more harm than good.

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dadkins
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dadkins

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