Content vs. Connectivity Technology & Sociology6/5/2000; 7:16:23 AM April 19, 2000: Content vs. Connectivity: A wide ranging essay examining the history of the Internet and showing just how vital it is to keep the open environment of the 'net past intact. And as you might guess from the essay's name, the method the author would propose for maintaining that openness is keeping the content producers and the connectivity providers completely seperate."Imagine in the 1970's trying to explain that video games were going to be much more important to advancing technology than the multibillion dollar military marketplace!"I've told this to some people in just the last few months who can't believe that's true.More inline with the thrust of the essay:

... we have given total control over key resources to [network connectivity] providers with a fundamental conflict of interest. They see their business as delivery content and fund it by selling access to the eyeballs (viewers) they control. Increasing connectivity gives viewers alternatives -- their "eyeballs" to escape. Encouraging innovation [on the part of those users] gives them very strong reasons to escape. Increasing Internet capacity is seen as coming at the price of the portion of the capacity that can be used for dedicated, high value, services.This is not a real marketplace. The marketplace incentives are towards increased control!

(Thanks to HTP.)