Search Engine Optimization News Blog

Despite the hyperbolic tone and confused claims in Monday’s Journal story, I want to be perfectly clear about one thing: Google remains strongly committed to the principle of net neutrality, and we will continue to work with policymakers in the years ahead to keep the Internet free and open.

Lessig, a professor of internet law at Stanford and keynote speaker at last week’s SES Chicago, explained how the Journal got their ‘facts’ scrambled:

I distinguish between “zero price regulations” (such as Markey’s bill (which I say I am against)) and what I called “zero discriminatory surcharge rules” (which I say I am for). The zero discriminatory surcharge rules are just that — rules against discriminatory surcharges — charging Google something different from what a network charges iFilm. The regulation I call for is a “MFN” requirement — that everyone has the right to the rates of the most favored nation.

This is precisely the position that the Journal breathlessly attributes to me today. It represents no change — no “softening” no “shift” in my views.

Being against regulation for search advertising and for regulation regarding net neutrality is a fine line to walk.

Lawrence Lessig has now been quoted in Newsweek, calling for the demolition of the FCC, stating that the FCC curries favor for monopolies which keeps big business and big bureaucracy in power. Lessig wants the FCC replaced by a government regulation agency called the iEPA, the Innovation Environment Protection Agency, which would be established by Congress and could keep a check on monopolies and the government. Supposedly this would spur innovation.

The current FCC is actually already enabling the same goals that Lessig desires, such as open spectrum. This year’s spectrum auction was won by Verizon but requires, due to a big enough bid by Google, to keep the spectrum open. Will Lessig’s friendship with the President elect sway the powers that be?