Should the Government Run the Internet?

On Tuesday, a federal court ruled that Comcast had the right to limit its users access to certain types of content. At issue was users access to a file sharing service called BitTorrent, which uses a high amount of bandwidth, slowing the speed at which other users access other content. While the ruling can be seen as fair, allows a company to determine how to use its resources, it can also be seen as the first step toward complete private control of the Internet. Such control could allow some companies, say Amazon.com, to cut a deal allowing faster access to its content, while a smaller independent bookseller would be left with slower access and at a business disadvantage.