After reading Sam Gast’s article in Conde Nast’s Portfilio.com about the good ‘ol web
neutrality debate and Comcast’s practice of “network management” (an aging
issue for sure) in which they choose to meter video uploads ostensibly to
manage traffic during heavy traffic periods, certainly makes one think. With this kind of activity, they essentially
restrict the flow with their foot on the pipe through which others may be
attempting to deliver their wares.
With web video adoption growing exponentially and the ever-expanding
selection of technology and tools from which marketers may choose, the need for
reliable broadband pipes is paramount. Does anybody remember the days when we used to bemoan the fact that “the
network” was so badly overbuilt and everyone knew that there was more dark fiber in the ground than
could ever be used? When will we reach the
point where high-speed access can finally be treated as, well, a public utility? I know, I know, this is a well wrung-out
debate. Ahhh, gotta love the effect of the mighty dollar (errr, insert currency
of choice).
With tools and technologies from cool straight-up conversion and editing tools
like Blaze Media Pro to top flight sophisticated
internet-delivered rich media specialists such as Maven Networks, or Unicast providing literally everything the
marketer could want in rich media, content, targeting, production, analytics, distribution,
etc., we should not need to wonder whether or not our audiences will be able to
receive the message due to some anti-competitive practice engaged-in by those
scrambling to make up for lost ground due to their legacy outdated operating models.
Certainly, this quick note does not do justice to the minutiae and
analogies too numerous to mention that inevitably call to us in this discussion. But even on the surface, when a “media
company” (isn’t that the thing to call yourself these days?) can act like they
are performing a public service when they limit or delay the presentation of a
competing product or service delivered over a network that should be, but isn’t,
“open”, it is
just wrong. Of course, when the content
is something a given set of gatekeepers favor, suddenly it is no longer a
bottleneck issue. Hmmm.
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