Channel Sounds Off On Net Neutrality

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Net neutrality is one of the hottest topics of debate in the IT industry today -- IBM, Intel, Juniper Networks and Cisco, among other industry giants, oppose regulating the treatment of data on the Internet based on content, platform or application. But what do their partner communities think?

STSG President Josh B. Thomas told CRNtv that he supports the principle in theory but worries about the implications of involving the government.

’I’m for Net neutrality, but what it’s going to do is set up an entire bureaucracy agency now with hundreds of employees that are going to require all this paperwork now, when there really isn’t a problem right now in terms of the fact that nobody is really getting preferred treatment,’ he said.

Gulf South Technology Solutions’ Haggai Davis agreed with that sentiment.

’The most scary words ever uttered are, ’I’m from the federal government and I’m here to help,’ ’ he said.

’I think regulation’s bad,’ said Charles Van Heusen, vice president at ClearPointe. ’The government should stay out of that area and let business and e-commerce justify who’s going to be the winners and the losers of it.’

’If they’re going to keep their hands off -- great, OK,’ said Davis. ’But if they’re going to then start taxing and regulating and deciding who can do what and where, then that becomes a problem.’

PUBLISHED APRIL 1, 2015