The definition of net neutrality
There are lots of people out there saying “we need to treat all VoIP alike, all video alike, and all blogs alike.” For them, that's network neutrality.
That's not what I hope we'll end up meaning by net neutrality. That would require a heavy-handed regulator enforcing a provider's determination of what packets are “like” other packets. I am not in favor of that approach.
I have a different vision. I hope, someday, we'll treat broadband access like the utility it is. That would mean separating transport from other activities, and separating access from backbone and backhaul transport. That doesn't require a great deal of discretion to repose in any particular actor.
Yesterday's debate at PDF seemed to be focused on the fuzzier definition of network neutrality (”treat all VoIP alike”). That definition plays directly into the arguments of the telcos. It would give the FCC an enormous amount of discretion and power.
Given enough bandwidth, all the need for prioritization in the last mile goes away. The question is who will provide that bandwidth and at what cost. In other countries it has been treated like a utility, unbundled and open to competition, and speeds are much higher and costs are much lower. That's the model I'm working towards.