In an effort to guide discussion surrounding the network neutrality debate, The Progress & Freedom Foundation has released "A Skeptic's Primer on Net Neutrality Regulation."

The primer is authored by key members of the Digital Age Communications Act (DACA) Project. They include PFF President and Senior Fellow Raymond Gifford; Thomas Lenard, PFF Senior Fellow and Senior Vice President for Research; Kyle Dixon, PFF Senior Fellow and Director of the Federal Institute for Regulatory Law and Economics; Adam Thierer PFF Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Digital Media Freedom; and Randolph May, President of the Free State Foundation.

In addition to a full discussion of the issue, the PFF authors warn of broad, unintended consequences of network neutrality regulation. Network neutrality mandates could:

• weaken the competitive vibrancy of the content, applications and device components of the Internet, such as video or voice
• forbid security and reliability fixes within a network
• deter innovation and investment in broadband "pipes"
• usher in subsequent regulation of the Internet
• not necessarily be limited to the platform layer of the Internet
• discourage new business models
• result in price regulation.

The authors agree that government should continue to play a vital roll in expressing a preference for investment, innovation and consumer choice. They conclude, however, that imposing network neutrality across-the-board at this time would harm consumers more than help them. The authors instead urge policymakers to focus on competition concerns, recognizing that market forces can address concerns of "content discrimination" quickly and more efficiently than government.