Internet's creators call it outdated -- evidence why net neutrality is anti-innovation

The Wall Street Journal's article today: "It's creators call Internet outdated, offer remedies" offers some powerful insights for those following the net neutrality debate and who care about promoting innovation.

•  "We can no longer rely on last-generation technology, which has essentially remained unchanged for 40 years, to power Internet performance," says Mr. Roberts..." (who is one of the pioneers who in 1969 oversaw the development of the ARPAnet which was the foundation of the Internet.)

• "The Internet wasn't designed for people to watch television," he says. "I know because I designed it." Said Roberts.

 The big takeaway from this article is that there are a slew of companies all trying to help operators cope with and manage the exploding bitrates of Internet use -- as more and more video and large files goes over the Internet.

• Most all of these new Internet innovations involve analyzing/sorting data traffic by what it is: emails, voice, video etc. so that it can be separated into "parallel networks" better designed to carry that type of Internet traffic -- improving the performance of the whole Internet.

So what does this have to do with net neutrality?

NN supporters would have you believe that the Internet is static, permanent, perfect and never in need of new innovation or changes to keep up with its growth. They believe it should always operate the way it originally operated even though what the Internet is carrying has changed dramatically and how the Internet is being used has changed dramatically. 

Net neutrality makes no sense because it maintains that all traffic must be treated the same and that there should not be a "two-tier Internet", an information highway slow lane and a fast lane. 

This thinking is not based on how the Internet really operates or what is needed to keep it operating efficiently for the benefit of everyone. 

One of the founding principles of NetCompetition.org was promoting: 

•  "A win-win growth dynamic where everyone on the Internet: network operators, device makers, application developers, and content providers -- enjoy the freedom to innovate, invest and differentiate to best serve their customers and advance our economy." 

Net neutrality supporters have their heads in the sand if they think that net neutrality regulation, which de facto decides who can and cannot innovate on the Internet, is wise economic policy.

Bottomline: It makes no sense for government to de facto decide in advance who on the Internet is permitted to innovate and how -- and who isn't allowed to innovate.