The real problem with Internet in the USA is lack of competition, especially in regional areas. Handing the decision making power over to the FCC will not create neutrality, it will not create more competition, it will move business decisions to the political arena so the rules get rapidly so complex that open competition will no longer be possible, ever.

Here’s a hint: if you see a politician trying to regulate communications, they are doing it for their own benefit (propaganda / hold onto power) and not for your benefit. This rule is guaranteed to apply in all situations.

It seems that by and large you and I are in agreement: there’s crap everywhere, and (generally) people love it.

I think your objection about my likening democratic media to democracies is a fair one: in a democracy the many get to choose what viewpoint guides the collective, whereas with neutral media, even if garbage content is endlessly popular, the good stuff can still make it’s voice heard. Point taken. However, having so much dumb content makes it that much harder to find the good stuff — though this is made easier by collaborative filtering and the like.

With regards to payment and cost, my point of view is that in order to make good looking media, it’s not hard, and can be done with off the shelf tools by just about anyone in an afternoon (a point I think you agree with, as per the games example). In order to really skillfully shoot and edit a movie, or research a topic and write about it, it takes time and energy. For the typical amateur, to really do a good job is probably outside the scope of what they could do in addition to their day job/life.

Therefore to have high quality content means that making that content will be the focus of what they do, so they need to support themselves doing it. By extension, we have to pay them for that service. This expense would be split over their number of fans, who would each have to shoulder a hefty part of the cost if people who actually care about high quality content are very very scarce.

- Network Neutrality is a dream, just like freedom of speech. The main purpose, as I see it, is to reduce the chance of artificial barriers between producers and viewers. Why? To keep Comcast from deciding bandwidth priority: G4 over Mevio, Hulu over Youtube, Comcast’s moneymaking subsidiaries over MSNBC, NYT over Joe’s new blog “SIX-PACKINOMICS”.

- “…exactly the problem that crowdsourced media was supposed to remedy.” When CNN makes a boardroom decision to cover trivial crap, they make that decision for everyone that turns to that channel. Youtube has as many channels as there are videos. Frat boys want to see nut shots, grandma wants to see kittens. Popularity on youtube is tied to view count, therefore, a chain-mailing Aunt is influencing youtube’s home page more than the tasteful, discerning viewer.

- Theodore Sturgeon had it right, “90% of everything is crap”. Same goes for entertainment. That 10% doesn’t have to cost a fortune, just be relevant to the niche. While the front page of youtube is filled with crap (don’t mistake view-count as , quality podcasts, convention speeches, and educational lectures are under the surface (but only come up if you’re looking for them). It’s possible right now to recreate the television channels from Idiocracy with youtube keywords. It’s also possible to create a great distance learning course. I think our “collective taste” has always looked bad. Prime entertainment during the French revolution included public be-headings.

- “”it’s the form of government where the people get what they deserve” — we’ve now got democratic media, and people are going to get what they deserve”. In a democracy, the general rule is a vote per person on a rule that applies to all. Not so with the internet. At CNN, a boardroom decided what to put on their limited channels. On Youtube, each video is a channel to the viewer, you find what you want, for good or ill. True, we are much more responsible to ourselves to filter out the crap, but whether you watch it or not, nut shot vids will still be uploaded as long as alcohol exists.

- “we’re going to have to pay for it, and it certainly won’t be cheap”. I think that depends on what you want. Just like a video games can look great but the game play suck, compelling content doesn’t have to be professionally produced.