Who asked Google to save the Internet?

The blogosphere and various individuals and groups have already discussed the issues coming from the recent joint communique between Google and Verizon. The communique, or as they like to call it, the Verizon-Google Legislative Framework Proposal, is a document which proposes certain legislation in order to protect Net Neutrality.

Part of this document deals with consumer protection:

Consumer Protections: A broadband Internet access service provider would be prohibited from

preventing users of its broadband Internet access service from--
(1) sending and receiving lawful content of their choice;
(2) running lawful applications and using lawful services of their choice; and
(3) connecting their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network or
service, facilitate theft of service, or harm other users of the service

This could be considered the consumer protection act of the Internet, as long as we send and receive lawful content and use the right applications, everything will be fine. I suspect if they, whoever 'they' are, deem that we are not doing this according to Hoyle, we are going to get it in the neck.

Of course, one of the problems is that some believe it spells the end of Google's support of net neutrality.

It has, needless to say, made a lot of people very upset. One of my favourite podcasts is "This Week in Google". I at first didn't care for it, thinking like I need to listen to an entire podcast of google fanboy and girl going on and on about how wonderful Google is and how not evil it is. Leo Laporte named a recent episode:
"Carrier-Humping Net Neutrality Surrender Monkeys". The panel was convinced Google caved on the issue of Net Neutrality, and they couldn't understand why Google of all people was doing this. One of the panelist, Gina Trapani even went so far to say she was going to cry, when she thought about what Google was doing.

I got to admit I've been thinking about it as well. Not about whether or not Google is evil, or had caved about Net Neutrality, this after the CEO Eric Schmidt wrote in a blog:

Today the Internet is an information highway where anybody – no matter how large or small, how traditional or unconventional – has equal access. But the phone and cable monopolies, who control almost all Internet access, want the power to choose who gets access to high-speed lanes and whose content gets seen first and fastest. They want to build a two-tiered system and block the on-ramps for those who can't pay.

Creativity, innovation and a free and open marketplace are all at stake in this fight.

By the way, I should point out, if you haven't heard, the issue has to do with the mobile Internet, which some believe is the Internet of the future. We are seeing a change from desktop and laptops, to mobile devises as the means by which people connect to the Internet. The rules it seems, shouldn't apply to the wireless internet:

Because of the unique technical and operational characteristics of
wireless networks, and the competitive and still-developing nature of wireless broadband services, only the transparency principle would apply to wireless broadband at this time. The U.S. Government Accountability Office would report to Congress annually on the continued development and robustness of wireless broadband Internet access services.

All this sounds to me, not that Google caved, but rather it was as if two Mafia Dons sat down and decided to divide up the territory. They were making sure the turf wars end and everybody gets rich. With Google certainly going to be involved with wireless Internet, such as through Android and the presumed Chrome Tablet to come out, or be announced "Any Day Now". They want to make sure they've got a piece of the action. It is interesting to note the Chrome Tablet will be available from Verizon.

Google wants to have their hands in both sides, in the broadband, it wants to supply all you need and get you to migrate to the Cloud, and through its tablets and cellphone OS, it wants to carve out wealth from the wireless Internet. They figure the real money will be in the latter. Of course, Google people are saying, they 'had' to do it. Yeah, to make even more money and mine even more data from us.

I suspect someone at Google realized that 'Do Know Evil', can also mean 'Screw People Over'.

I heard this on another podcast:
"In this New Decade:
Google is Evil
Apple is a Monopoly
and Microsoft is the Underdog"

So true.