Much as it is further evidence of why it’s never a good idea to assume that corporations and freedom of expression go together, I’m not too sure on the link between the AT&T/Pearl Jam fuss and the net neutrality question. As far as I can see, what AT&T did (in changing/filtering/censoring/sanitising the performance) was nothing to do with any of their telecom/carrier functions, but was more along the lines of what broadcasters have been doing for years. Sure, AT&T is not a broadcaster, but in this case they were acting 100% ‘as a broadcaster’ – it wasn’t that they were using their power as ISP/telco to carry out censorship functions.
The question is this. Would any of the proposals for legislative or regulatory reform have prevented this? If not (and I do suspect the answer is no), then it is an issue that highlights the bad faith and you’re-all-the-same-evil-corporation-nature of AT&T, rather than something that will actually prove the case for action on neutrality. Indeed, I’d worry that overstating the case in this fashion may confuse the matter. I am extremely concerned about the power of corporations like AT&T and their ability to control expression and culture, and I’m also interested in the legal and political issues surrounding net neutrality – but I’m sceptical of an automatic link.
On the other hand, I do see some interesting neutrality issues on the horizon emerging from the shape-throwing over the BBC iPlayer, and more specifically the desire of ISPs to shake down the BBC for the added traffic. If they follow through on this, I think the core fears of the US net neutrality lobbyists will be an active part of the British debate, in a much more significant fashion than to date.
In my opinion, this issue is one of the most important global issues (specifically for “free” democracies) of the modern age. Great summation here: http://www.unboundedition.com/content/view/1958/50/
We must fight for this cause.