Separate but identical
Cable or Bell. The Supreme Court takes a crack at broadband regulation.
The Supreme Court today said it will review the Brand X case, which tries to determine whether cable broadband services should be regulated like phones. The big deal will be whether cable providers will have to open their high speed network to third party ISPs.
FCC Commissioner Michael Powell drew a line in the sand by saying that broadband connections are "not telephones."
It's funny. Phone and cable companies are on a collision course of similarity. In a few years, if all goes as planned, they will offer the same services but over different kinds of pipes. Comcast will sell wireless phones. Verizon will let you watch pay-per-view.
Given this reality, shouldn't it make sense to settle on one common rule regardless of the wire?