Going Dutch: conclusions from TPRC and Gikii on net neutrality

Now recovering from my September of conferences, and ready to put some conclusions forward.

1. The FCC NPRM will be a highly political process - even though it will have brilliant people at the FCC end - Sharon Gillett at Wireline (newly installed), Jon Peha as CTO and Kevin Werbach as eminence grise and allround excellent person.

2. What they really need is an extension of the panel discussion Saturday morning and a round-chair session that evening with Dave Clark. This stuff is technically hard and needs the lawyers to sit in a corner listening for a few weeks (fat chance...) - and learn from Norway and Japan.

3. I predict that European NRAs will do nothing about net neutrality for a couple of years while they get busy with implementing the Package ready for 2011 - except the Dutch who will go for a US-style solution. Why?

4. Because the Dutch

[a] are miles ahead of the 'Big 5' with broadband and now fibre deployment

[b] they're a genuinely progressive administration at OPTA and the Ministry;

[c] good guys like Rudolf van der Berg have set them on a good route.

5. The Commission needs them to show the rest how its done.

So good luck to the US (they'll need it), the Dutch, and God help the rest of us!