Arrested development: How policy failure impairs Internet progress

The Internet and related networking technologies have fueled unprecedented, disruptive change. While the technical elements of Internet convergence have been fully developed for nearly 20 years, policy, law, and regulation have failed to keep pace with technology. Experts agree that the Internet must be a deregulated space in which competition rather than regulation would provide market discipline, yet regulators have refused to embrace the opportunities provided by Internet convergence. The Internet has reached an impasse because of inappropriate regulation. Restoring the Internet’s dynamic character will require regulators to be as committed to innovation as the Internet engineering community is.