As a real estate agent, I agree with the author's point, especially about the technology. I not only pay hundreds of dollars per year, but technologically they still can't even keep up with basic advancements such as making the mls work in firefox or safari. The problem, as far as I can tell, is not from individual agents trying to protect their racket, but from our regional and national associations and their somewhat opaque partnerships with private businesses.

For example, our national association doesn't even own Realtor.com; they made an apparently permanent agreement with a private company which charges us additional fees for "enhanced" listings.

The other problem is that the MLS's are all controlled regionally, and it's not so much about the technology as it is about the bureaucracy. While the author makes an excellent point, many are currently attempting it but it's not easy. Companies such as Redfin seem to be slowly getting there. As an agent, I'd be the first to support a free, nationwide MLS, but I don't know if it's something that can be solved by technology alone.