Is the free market making net neutrality obsolete?

[Valin]

Hot Air:

Jazz Shaw
6/16/11

One of the chief worries expressed by proponents of net neutrality legislation is that web service providing fat cats would play favorites, take control of content, and restrict speech while socking it to everyone with huge service fees. What this concern doesn’t take into account is that users – both private consumers and corporate interests – really don’t like getting shoddy, limiting, expensive service, and when consumers are unhappy a market opportunity arises. Let’s face it, business abhors a vacuum even more than mother nature.

There were already plenty of complaints. Tech guru Nate Anderson cited the skyrocketing cost of Comcast’s 105 Mbps service in Chicago. ($199.95 per month? Are you kidding me?) Subscribers to Jim Geraghty’s Morning Jolt newsletter saw him complaining just this week about Comcast being completely unavailable Monday night and most of Wednesday, impacting his ability to do his job.

So obviously we should get the federal government in here to straighten things out, right? Or just maybe the market will generate something better – not to mention more quickly – and offer consumers a chance to vote with their feet and their wallets. Oh, wait… I think it already happened.

(Snip)