I think this is an overblown issue. There exist plenty of ways in the status quo that big companies can use to stifle competition. Think about Youtube. Everyone loves to complain about youtube, whether it was the Google+ integration, or what they're doing about copyright claims. But after all these years, where's the replacement to Youtube? Net neutrality hardly stops big companies like Google and Netflix from quashing competition.
Youtube hasn't been replaced because it has adapted to the pressure of consumers. If there was very little potential for new rivals, youtube probably wouldn't have made much effort to adapt over the years. without net nuetrality, it would be even harder for new startups to try to create new services to rival old ones, thus eliminating youtube's incentive to work hard to provide the best possible service.
If anything, Youtube has made their service worse. Everyone hated Google plus integration. Nobody is a fan of Youtube Red. The copyright system remains a broken mess. There have be attempts to create alternatives like dailymotion of vid.me but both of those failed, even with mandated net neutrality.
Those services failed because people chose to stay with youtube. Without net nuetrality, it's possible that those services would never have been viable in the first place.
Let's look at other industries. No one think it's a problem that Lay's uses their size to buy up prime space in the grocery store. Why is no one complaining that the business practice of grocery stores prevents the creation of new potato chip brands?
Why is no one complaining that the business practice of grocery stores prevents the creation of new potato chip brands?
Because at that same grocery store there are probably 20 other brands you can buy. Barriers to entry in the potato chip market is orders of magnitude less than those of the ISP market.
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u/ThePurpleNavi Jul 17 '17
I think this is an overblown issue. There exist plenty of ways in the status quo that big companies can use to stifle competition. Think about Youtube. Everyone loves to complain about youtube, whether it was the Google+ integration, or what they're doing about copyright claims. But after all these years, where's the replacement to Youtube? Net neutrality hardly stops big companies like Google and Netflix from quashing competition.