Lex專欄:"網絡中立"對誰有利

One of the big mysteries in corporate America is whether telecom regulators will allow theComcast/Time Warner Cable merger, announced in February, to close. President Obama’s comments on net neutrality on Monday provide a clue: the government is going to make the business of delivering internet less attractive. This could undercut some of the objections to the deal.

美國商界的一大疑團是：電信監管機構會不會讓今年2月宣佈的康卡斯特(Comcast)/時代華納有線(Time Warner Cable)合併交易順利完成。美國總統奧巴馬週一有關網絡中立的言論提供了一條線索：政府將降低提供互聯網接入服務的吸引力。這會化解一部分針對上述交易的阻力。

The White House statement said Mr Obama favoured reclassifying internet service providers such as Comcast and TWC as “common carriers”. Such a move by the Federal Communications Commission (which is independent of the president) would regulate ISPs like utilities. The president favours prohibiting “paid prioritisation” in which content providers buy access to faster distribution.

白宮聲明稱，奧巴馬主張將互聯網服務提供商(ISP)（例如康卡斯特和時代華納有線）重新歸類爲“公共通信企業”。獨立於美國總統的聯邦通信委員會(FCC)若採取這一舉措，會像監管公用事業公司那樣監管互聯網服務提供商。奧巴馬還主張禁止"有償優先"，即內容提供商通過付費獲得更高速度的分發。

Netflix struck such deals with several ISPs (including Comcast) this year but has since complained about them.

今年Netflix公司就跟幾家互聯網服務提供商（包括康卡斯特）達成這樣的交易，但之後對此抱怨諸多。

The net neutrality debate has taken on a David vs Goliath flavour. Scrappy Netflix heroically provides television and movies for just $8 per month while distributors gouge profits from their control of the pipes.

關於網絡中立的辯論如今帶有聖經故事中大衛對決歌利亞的意味。鬥志昂揚的Netflix公司英勇地以每月8美元的價格提供影視內容，而互聯網服務提供商則利用自己對管道的控制，搶佔了大部分利潤。

The Netflix monthly fee roughly reflects the cost of acquiring content. The question then is whether that fee should jump to reflect the operating and capital costs Comcast incurs to deliver that content. Comcast and Time Warner are profitable businesses, unlike Netflix. But they are extremely capital intensive.

Netflix的月租費大致反映了獲取內容的成本。問題在於，應不應該大幅提高收費，以反映康卡斯特爲投送這些內容而產生的運營和資金成本？康卡斯特和時代華納是盈利企業，不像Netflix。但他們也是極度資本密集的。

Comcast shares shed four per cent on Monday perhaps to the delight of its oft-irritated customers. But schadenfreude aside, US internet service remains slow and expensive compared with the rest of the world.

康卡斯特的股價週一下挫4%，也許會令那些平時不滿的顧客感到竊喜。但幸災樂禍之餘，美國的互聯網服務相對於世界其他國家仍是緩慢和昂貴的。

It is fun to fantasise about reallocating Comcast profits to Netflix. But consumers and their advocates should think about what competitive framework would lead to the necessary investment in broadband infrastructure.

幻想一下將康卡斯特的利潤重新分配給Netflix是好玩的。但消費者和支持他們的人應該想一想，什麼樣的競爭框架纔會給網絡寬帶基礎設施帶來必要的投資。

The costs of delivering content can be shared, but not avoided.

投送內容的成本可以被分擔，但無法避免。