Net Neutrality: Its Utility and Limits
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Net neutrality is a term that has featured more prominently in the West than in Asia in policy debates concerning the Internet. The “core” principle of net neutrality is that ISPs should not discriminate against traffic is well-defined. But all ISPs manage traffic for a better experience of its users. Here is where the boundaries of the definition are not as clear. This paper analyses the concept of net neutrality by testing its utility against two issues: first, whether applications that require an extended connection to the network should be regulated, and second, whether Internet domain name registries should be allowed to integrate vertically. The first issue arises because smartphone apps tend to be bandwidth hogs; it would be in the interest of ISPs to shape the network traffic. The second issue arises because vertical integration would make the few existent registries even bigger, overshadowing the smaller registries; the smaller registries, however, argue that vertical integration is necessary for their own survival. The study finds that a strict application of net neutrality by using a logical extension of the definition would not be helpful in resolving the policy conflicts. Instead, concepts such as competition in favour of consumers and economic harm need to be deployed as well. Thus net neutrality as a concept is useful in policy analysis up to a point. The pragmatic, as opposed to dogmatic, position of the IT regulator in Singapore is discussed as well.
Abstract
Net neutrality is a term that has featured more prominently in the West than in Asia in policy debates concerning the Internet. The “core” principle of net neutrality is that ISPs should not discriminate against traffic is well-defined. But all ISPs manage traffic for a better experience of its users. Here is where the boundaries of the definition are not as clear. This paper analyses the concept of net neutrality by testing its utility against two issues: first, whether applications that require an extended connection to the network should be regulated, and second, whether Internet domain name registries should be allowed to integrate vertically. The first issue arises because smartphone apps tend to be bandwidth hogs; it would be in the interest of ISPs to shape the network traffic. The second issue arises because vertical integration would make the few existent registries even bigger, overshadowing the smaller registries; the smaller registries, however, argue that vertical integration is necessary for their own survival. The study finds that a strict application of net neutrality by using a logical extension of the definition would not be helpful in resolving the policy conflicts. Instead, concepts such as competition in favour of consumers and economic harm need to be deployed as well. Thus net neutrality as a concept is useful in policy analysis up to a point. The pragmatic, as opposed to dogmatic, position of the IT regulator in Singapore is discussed as well.
참고문헌 (25)
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