I could be missing something here, but in a recent column on Politico, David All appears to be advocating government regulation on the internet. In fact, it almost looks like he’s calling on the GOP to support Net Regulation as a party in order to “catch up to Democrats online”.

As Republicans, we must not only adopt the new techniques and structure of Internet democracy, but also understand the importance of preserving the open nature of the Net as a policy issue. The tools that are available at low cost to Republicans are only there because of an Internet ecosystem that has managed to remain open, despite the efforts of phone and cable companies.

Republicans need to adopt a lighter approach that will preserve the values of decentralization and freedom — essential conservative values — on the Internet. If we fail to engage in this effort, the Internet service providers, who control the last mile of the tubes into a customer’s house or small business, will choke off the affordable tools available to conservative activists. They have already started exercising their market power to block applications that enable Internet users to distribute information across the Net.

They will make the Internet look a lot more like cable TV, where citizens lack access to every legal channel available and where, consequently, conservative activists get shut out. Taking away these free tools will come at the major expense of the activists and small-businesspeople who are the core of our party’s strength.

I’ve tried to remain quiet on David All over the past few months, but enough is enough. This is just over the top in my opinion. A self-proclaimed 2.0 Free-Market eActivist should never, EVER jump on the “evil corporation” bandwagon! I mean, how can one be for limited government, yet advocate MORE government regulation?

Right now there is a clear difference between Republicans and Democrats. Republicans want (well, SHOULD want, but in many cases do not) less regulation, Democrats want more. David All, however, is asserting that Republicans, if they wish to be a serious player in cyberspace, should begin considering net regulation. Is that not the way this reads?

Good grief.

What’s worse about this Politico column, is that it appears to be a carefully planned attack on phone companies and the telecoms, veiled as a cry for Republicans to “get serious about the online revolution”.

I know my position on Net Regulation is not popular, especially in the tech realm, but my position IS the RIGHT position with regards to free markets and limited government advocacy. While I might not like that I will have to pay a few dollars more to continue getting super high speed connections, I must understand that a business has EVERY right to charge it. If I don’t like it, I don’t have to pay it. That is the way a free society works! It’s called CHOICE.

Yeah yeah, I know. “But Google is fighting for Net Regulation to help us have cheap access to the internet”. Look, Google is a business, and its sole concern is profit. Google profits most when more people are online. Simple.

Calling on the government, in David All’s case the Republicans, to get involved and demand business to operate in a certain manner is just wrong. It’s anti-freedom, it’s anti-American, and it goes against everything Republicans were supposed to be standing for.

So while David All cries for Republicans to support net regulation, he seems to miss the part about Republicans losing elections left and right because they refuse to advocate LESS REGULATION and stand for what fiscal conservatives and libertarians believe in.

The notion that the right is behind online because we do not support net regulation is simply absurd. Note to David All… some of us have made huge surges forward online, and we’re strongly against Net Regulation. You sir, create “instant communities” and online tools that become duds, serve no long term purpose on the movement, and eventually fade into irrelevance.

I’m confused as to why any Republican would give David All the time of day as far as political or new media advice is concerned. From a programming standpoint, David All is a champ, but when it comes to this anti-freedom junk advice…

Unbelievable.