Delete comment from: Google Public Policy Blog
Wireless is treated differently than wireline broadband access for a few reasons:
While there are practical commercial limitations, wireline BB access uses a controlled media that is only limited by the number of lines or fibers that are physically run. Wires and fiber optics are the backbone transport for all terminations to end points/users. As such, these need be open.
The most leveraged/critical connection is that to the end user. No other media connects the user to 'whenever, wherever connectivity' like wireless. And due to 4G and B4G technologies, the use of wireless opens up a huge frontier of basic and innovative access.
However great wireless will become, it faces the real world problems of a limited amount of spectrum and ever-changing 'media'. The air above your heads and around you changes because of walls, trees, rain, terrain frequency, interference... all of which are not directly controlled as is the case with wired/fiber media. That dynamic, difficult environment makes it a necessity to do a lot of signal processing that changes instantaneously "as the wind blows" so to speak. And that raises the cost and also the inherent technical necessity to control the way signals are sent.
For all the free Internet advocates, you need to put on your thinking caps as Google management has done.. the conclusion may be some compromise with vested money/spectrum monopolists, but, nonetheless, is the correct line of thinking.
The devil is always in the details. Open Internet advocates should seek reasonable access for applications and content.. if Verizon or Google get access under particular terms, every other competitor or individual should have the same. Within Verizon or any other operator the cost and QoS should be equal/equivalent with all others. P2P torrent/donkey should be allowed access on equal terms as other bandwidth abusers that can detract from other users experience.
The free Internet folks who want P2P to be unrestricted fail to recognize that everyone pays for access: the (calamity) comedy of the commons.
Aug 9, 2010, 9:48:28 PM