digital economy

Watching the FCC attempt to construct net neutrality regulations to lord over the Internet is a bit like watching a child build a sand castle and declare himself king of the beach. Neither has really created a kingdom, but at least the latter is cute.

Freedom wins in battle to control the ’Net.

Given the competition in the wireless broadband market – indeed, in the broadband marketplace at large – the costs of the FCC interfering with proposals like AT&T’s are likely to outweigh the benefits.

Activists are freaking out about AT&T’s Sponsored Data plan because it defiles their utopian ideal of perfect Internet egalitarianism of universal, unlimited, free, downstream-bandwidth for edge creators.

Reading through David Kopel’s book today, I’m struck by how prescient he was a dozen years ago in his forecasts of changing technology, emerging competition, and the deadening influence of antitrust law in this arena of rapid change.

The growing use of Uber to hail a cab is economic dynamism at its finest: an unregulated Internet service upending an old, established service with consumers reaping the rewards.