Net Neutrality Is Defeated

For a change, calmer heads prevailed on Capitol Hill today and the net neutrality amendment advocated by the Save the Internet Coalition was soundly defeated 34-22.

For those who were hoping for a win, you really need to step back, now that it’s going to be a while before this comes up again, and think about what you are asking. I’d like you to go out and ask 20 different people what they think net neutrality means. I guarantee you you’ll probably get at least 19 different answers. You’ll also discover that trying to codify a concept as vague as net neutrality into law is a terrible idea.

What’s interesting about the left-leaning coalition that has been fighting this is the members would be largely opposed to regulating something as vaguely defined as “pornography”. They would argue that which you consider pornographic I may consider an artistic celebration of human sexuality. Yet that same concept is discarded in the net neutrality fight in favor of irrational fear over some ill-defined evil that may or may not ever come to pass.

Oh well. At least we don’t have to worry about it again for a while… until the Senate takes it up in a few weeks…