Wednesday, December 24, 2003
Kevin Werbach on Network Openness
Werblog says:
COMMENT -- Russell Nelson (nelson at crynwr dot com) writes:
Russell continues:
That said, the policy of isen.blog is to publish articulate dissenting comments that it receives -- be they from Verisign, from advocates of the intelligent network, etc. I'll still discriminate, but the discriminandum will be degree of articulateness and relevancy.
Openness isn't some abstract principle invented by Larry Lessig to justify new regulation; it's a particular technical and policy framework that is deeply embedded in the Internet and existing FCC rules.These openness rules are the unusual case, the case that Powell doesn't talk about. Openness rules (that is, rules mandating nondiscriminitory connection to existing networks, aka Common Carrier Rules) actually help competition (at higher layers), help the new entrant and the clueful (application-oriented) incumbent. Openness rules punish the obsolete value proposition and the big company where the whole is less than the sum of its parts. No wonder openness rules are controversial.
COMMENT -- Russell Nelson (nelson at crynwr dot com) writes:
Openness *doesn't* help competition. Why would anybody invest in infrastructure that they are required to sell to their competition? That's insane.Right. I missed a key detail. I should have made what I was trying to say clearer -- that openness at Layer 1-3 promotes competition at layer 4-7. I've added words to that effect above (in parentheses).
Russell continues:
Openness in the blogging world would be forcing you to publish every email sent to isen@isen.com, even from people who are promoting a smart network (cough, Verisign, cough).I am not calling for openness at the app level! I support the right of app providers to keep their work closed, and to reserve the right to choose what to publish and what to ignore.
That said, the policy of isen.blog is to publish articulate dissenting comments that it receives -- be they from Verisign, from advocates of the intelligent network, etc. I'll still discriminate, but the discriminandum will be degree of articulateness and relevancy.
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