So the FCC went ahead and did what they’d previously been told they don’t have the authority to do, which is to regulate the Internet and declare Net Neutrality the law of the land, apparently against the wishes of lawmakers on both sides of the isle. Much has been written about this, and I’ll provide a bevy of links at the end of this blog post. But the best on the subject has been Bob Cringely, who writes:

The short story of what’s happening at the FCC is that the agency is trying to grab power over the Internet and to make that happen is paying-off any number of constituencies. With everything eventually going onto the net as a data service, the FCC wants to avoid irrelevancy, so this is how they are doing it with the help of Google and Verizon. Net neutrality partisans appear willing to accept more oversight if it comes with guarantees against packet throttling. And phone companies are willing to accept broader restrictions if they can still throttle or introduce tiered charges on their only networks that matter anymore — wireless.

It’s regulatory capture at its finest. Agency with no authority gets sanction from major incumbents to be the authority in exchange for exemptions for their own rotten practices and a promise to help keep out would-be competitors.

I’d expect no less from our country’s broadband suppliers.

What’s more interesting to me is that Clear, the new WiMax service from Sprint has arrived in my neighborhood. Given my endless problems with getting FIOS installed and my loathing of Comcast, I figured I’d check out Clear’s offerings after getting a flyer from them in the mail. Moreover, every right of center commentator tries saying that adequate competition in broadband exists, or will soon exist because of the likes of 4G wireless services. SO here it was, that very 4G service in my own neighborhood. So why not check it out? Care to guess what their home WiMax speed maxes out at (WiMax being a service that is supposed to max out at 1Gps for stationary objects in ideal conditions)?

That’s right, 3Mbps.

To be precise, “You will experience the fastest download speeds available on our network at your time of usage. Based on internal speed tests of CLEAR network users, download speeds average around 3-6.0 Mbps with bursts up to 10 Mbps.” Great (I get 20Mbps on my cable modem). 3-6 Mbps is not much faster than a DSL line. Which, incidentally, the FCC classifies as broadband. So I suppose according to the technical definitions of the FCC there’s competition, but from a practical standpoint, wireless isn’t competitive with wired at all.

So I suppose this next congress will slap the FCC down, or maybe even abolish it entirely. They don’t seem to be taking kindly to having had their power usurped.

In any event, there’s plenty to read on the subject, if you’re interested. In no particular order:

• Salon
• John Fund
• Ars Technica and again.
• Save The Internet

Tags: Clear, Comcast, FCC, Fios, Net Neutrality, Sprint

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