Gonzalez at it again -- this time on net neutrality

It appeared Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez had done all the damage he could do: authorizing illegal wiretaps, coming up with dubious legal rational for torture and lying before Congress. But Gonzalez couldn't resist lobbing one more bomb before riding into the Texas sunset.

Surprisingly enough, this one has to do with net neutrality. Gonzalez filed papers with the FCC opposing net neutrality late last week claiming falsely that such regulations could hamper innovation on the Internet.

Like with a lot of things (say the definition of torture), Gonzalez is way off the mark. Net neutrality actually fosters innovation on the Internet. If telecoms are free to charge companies for prioritizing their web traffic, those that can afford the fees will have a huge advantage over those that can not. This favors established businesses. Google, eBay, and other start ups were able to thrive because they competed on the same level playing field as everyone else. Imagine what might happen to the next generation of innovation if only the biggest and the richest are able to get the best service?

Of course, this also follows the Justice Department signing off on the ATT/BellSouth merger without seeking any consumer protections in 2006. Here's some additional commentary from our friends over at Free Press and Public Knowledge.