Thu, December 15, 2005 — CIO — As it has been in the past with new technologies and concepts, money may again be the driving force behind the development of the next generation of Internet business models. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, William Smith, chief technology officer of BellSouth, has proposed that companies that own major parts of wired and wireless infrastructure could give traffic priorities to web vendors who pay the most money. With Smith’s model, a travel site like Orbitz would work better and faster than Travelocity on your computer over certain networks if they pay more.

The author of the article commends Smith’s notion of capitalism, but questions whether that type of business model is in the best interest of Internet development. The reason the Internet works so well, he points out, is because it is so free and wild. Anyone can be a part. In the end, it may come down to what happens when Congress rethinks telecommunications policy next year. Read more.

By Paul Kerstein - CXO Media