Thought of the Day: Saving Net Neutrality Through an Anti-Competition-Based Approach

With growing concern by some advocates of network neutrality that the D.C. Circuit is about to side with Verizon Communications, and against the Federal Communications Commission, on the agency’s open internet rules, the search is on to find another way to legislatively mandate openness. Over at GigaOm, Paul Sweating is touting the new measure by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-WV, to approach the threat of anti-competitive behavior from the perspective of antitrust law. The unexpected measure from Rockfeller, in addition to tacking the question of getting pay-television content to video distributors, would ban discriminator usage-based practices by internet service providers. Read Rockefeller’s bill (PDF).