Our last post highlighted an article from the popular tech website TechDirt that made a true and compelling argument against “wireless net neutrality.” That article also touched on a humorously self-serving petition to the FCC by Skype, the peer-to-peer online telephone service. Here’s the relevant section:

As far as Skype’s petition to the FCC, the less said about this blatant publicity stunt, the better. It’s not really clear why this is so important to Skype: a Windows Mobile version of its client software has been available for a long time, and is pretty much open to US mobile users with compatible Windows Mobile devices. It’s got little room to expand outside that niche, since its CEO says the company can’t seem to get the hang of mobile development. Also, it’s a little ironic that Skype’s demanding openness and use of standards, when it’s eschewed so many standards in the VoIP space, like SIP, in favor of proprietary technologies and systems it refuses to open up.

If you didn’t already know, Skype is owned by eBay, a close ally of Google, which is also not above silly attempts to go on the offensive on this issue. As Scott Cleland at Precursor Blog has been pointing out for months, both have adopted a “neutrality for thee but not for me” attitude. Here’s Cleland, on the same wacky petition:

While most everyone else is looking to see how competition policy is working and how it might be improved, eBay-Skype said in FTC testimony last week, by eBay-Skype official Tod Cohen, that even a competitive market of 4-5 providers won’t solve the problems of limitations on wireless devices by wireless carriers.

Got that? The regulationists have gone from arguing that the broadband marketplace is an unacceptable “duopoly” to declaring that even a quintopoly is not competition enough. Just more evidence that there’s nothing they won’t say to muddy this issue.