Bono: ISPs should filter music, Steve Jobs should make cars.
Ars writes a scathing review of a Times Op-Ed by U2’s Bono. They take him to task for arguing for ISP filtering, despite the fact that concert revenue has been on the rise.
Bono makes one statement that grabs my interest:
The immutable laws of bandwidth tell us we’re just a few years away from being able to download an entire season of “24†in 24 seconds. Many will expect to get it free.
The funny thing about the “free expectation,” I would argue, is that it’s based on our collective media experience over time. We’ve been receiving shows like 24 and music by U2 for free for years via the airwaves, though it’s supported by advertising. One might even argue that a cable bill is much like an bill from an Internet Service Provider–a cable company simply provides a conduit into homes and does not (can not) block Maury Povich, Fox and Friends, or The Colbert Report simply because someone objects to the content.
Just because the post office technically could have opened letters, or ISPs technically could examine packets does not mean it should be done–especially to protect businesses that are more interested in their bottom line than quality content and customer service.