Has any flipped this battle around? I like the idea that the networks want to be neutral. If this is good for the phone network, why not bring it up the stack to, say, the Netflix system. Why shouldn't Netflix give every video maker the exact same terms?
To clarify, you are asking whether anyone has considered introducing a telco-style 'common carriage' requirement for media companies; is that right?
Yes. Why not? If Netflix thinks it's so great for telcos, why shouldn't Netflix lead the way and show us how it's done? They can have an open system for everyone who wants a movie deal. Everyone gets the same terms. They can be paid per minute that someone watches.
The point that guy is making is that we DID have regulations to control broadcast content, and it sucked.
As it happens I was just curious, not trying to make a particular point :) Although I will mention that before the quasi-DMCA takedown scheme, YouTube was rapidly becoming a 'common carrier' of sorts for video - completely unregulated, of course, but offering standard advertising rates and almost no editorial restrictions.