In the network neutrality debate, network operators often invoke "scarcity," citing "bandwidth hogs" and "P2P" (or "illegal P2P") content, as a key reason that networks need management. In the U.S., this has taken the form of anti-competitive protocol blocking, rather than more direct forms of congestion pricing. In other words, network operators are using the fact that network resources are not Gratis to make them non-Libre.
In other countries, most notably Israel and Japan, the issue is protecting children from harmful content. In Sweden and Finland, the issue is "foreign threats," (while the suspected hidden agenda is so-called piracy). In other countries, other issues . . . meanwhile the net becomes less Libre.
But what if there were a simpler way? Suppose it were easier to create abundance than it is to manage scarcity. I'll review some of the fiber experiments around the world to increase abundance -- Denmark and Amsterdam are only at the beginning. And I'll review the prospects for wireless abundance as well. We may never get to Gratis, but we can go a long way towards it. Meanwhile, we have Libre, but we must defend it actively.
