A lot has been said this week about the proposed “net neutrality” compromise between Google and Verizon and its potential effects on the open Internet. But how might this affect startups and early-stage companies? While nothing with regard to this proposal is really clear at this point (even the CEOs of Google and Verizon are talking cryptically about it), a proposed “second” web that prioritizes traffic in favor of big Internet stalwarts seems less than positive for companies trying to innovate on the web. Perhaps the most concerning piece of this proposal from the startup perspective is the wireless component, which basically asserts that “open” net neutrality rules would inhibit innovation on the wireless/mobile Internet. Although there are many, many questions around this issue that have yet to be answered, one thing is for sure…it will determine in large part the future of the Internet and Internet-based technologies, and the state of competition on the web. What do you think?
Here are some of the better analyses of the Google/Verizon proposal:
Web Plan From Google and Verizon Is Criticized (@NY Times)
Second (Day) Thoughts on Google-Verizon Framework – Isn’t This All About Android? (@John Battelle’s SearchBlog)
Or Maybe It’s Really About (Google) TV… (@John Battelle’s SearchBlog)
Not Neutrality: Did Google & Verizon Just Stab The Internet In The Heart? (@TechCrunch)
