Net neutrality is dead. Bow to Comcast and Verizon, your overlords

[Commentary] Advocates of a free and open Internet could see this coming, but the ruling from a Washington appeals court striking down the Federal Communications Commission's rules protecting the open Internet was worse than the most dire forecasts. It was "even more emphatic and disastrous than anyone expected," in the words of one veteran advocate for network neutrality.

The Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit thoroughly eviscerated the FCC's latest lame attempt to prevent Internet service providers from playing favorites among websites -- awarding faster speeds to sites that pay a special fee, for example, or slowing or blocking sites and services that compete with favored affiliates. Big cable operators like Comcast and telecommunications firms like Verizon will be free to pick winners and losers among websites and services. Their judgment will most likely be based on cold hard cash. "AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast will be able to deliver some sites and services more quickly and reliably than others for any reason," telecommunications lawyer Marvin Ammori observed even before the ruling came down. "Whim. Envy. Ignorance. Competition. Vengeance. Whatever. Or, no reason at all." The telecom companies claim their chief interest is in providing better service to all customers, but that's unadulterated flimflam. We know this because regulators already have had to make superhuman efforts to keep the big ISPs from degrading certain services for their own benefit.

The only course is for public pressure to overcome industry pressure. That's a tough road, but there's no alternative. Do you want your Internet to look like your cable TV service, where you have no control over what comes into your house or what you pay for it? Then stay silent. If not, start writing letters and emails to your elected representatives and the FCC now. It's the only hope to save the free, open Internet.