Net Neutrality In the News
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Sep 10, 2007
Seeking Consensus On Net Neutrality Heather Greenfield, TechDailyAmid the controversy over network neutrality, a growing chorus of voices in the middle of the debate is calling for more competition and a comprehensive high-speed Internet policy.
For consumers, the Internet has historically been neutral, meaning those who control the pipelines treat content equally in delivering it to consumers, regardless of what it is. But in 2005, the FCC cleared the way for telecommunications and cable providers to implement potential business models to create tiered traffic lanes on the Internet and charge some content providers more for faster service. The reasoning is that the extra revenue will help speed broadband deployment, which some experts and officials agree should be a national priority.
Enacting a law or rules to ensure such net neutrality, however, is still so controversial that one of the few points everyone agrees on is the confusing nature of the term “net neutrality.”
During his keynote speech at the Progress and Freedom Foundation summit in Aspen, Colo., last month, Google CEO Eric Schmidt appealed for common ground amid a roomful of telecom and cable executives and others. Schmidt said he hoped everyone could at least agree on this point: “No entity that controls the last mile, [telecom companies] cable or, by the way, local government ... should be able to control the content that flows over it.”
The challenge in achieving consensus was obvious in the response of Steve Vest, senior vice president of government relations for the National Cable and Telecommunications Association. “That’s really what the whole debate is because the last mile is where the investment is,” Vest said of Schmidt’s appeal. “That’s really like saying, ‘Can’t we just agree on net neutrality?’”
Sep 06, 2007
Feds OK Fee for Priority Web Traffic AP, ForbesWASHINGTON - The Justice Department on Thursday said Internet service providers should be allowed to charge a fee for priority Web traffic.
The agency told the Federal Communications Commission, which is reviewing high-speed Internet practices, that it is opposed to “Net neutrality,” the principle that all Internet sites should be equally accessible to any Web user.
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Sep 06, 2007
Ten things that finally killed Net neutrality Declan McCullagh, CNETIf you haven’t heard much about Net neutrality this year, you’re not alone. It went from being the political equivalent of a first-run Broadway show, with accompanying street protests and high profile votes in Congress, to a third-rate performance with no budget and slumping attendance.
So what killed Net neutrality? Here’s a list, in no particular order:
1. The Bush administration. Democrats may control Congress, but the White House and federal agencies matter. And the administration made it perfectly clear on Thursday that no new Net neutrality regulations are necessary. That gives the Republicans in Congress their marching orders, and a unified GOP front means the Democrats are more likely to expend ammunition elsewhere.
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Sep 06, 2007
Net neutrality hopes hit by DoJ criticism Paul Taylor, Financial TimesThe US Department of Justice threw its weight behind telecommunications operators on Thursday, warning telecom regulators against imposing so-called ‘net neutrality’ rules that would block carriers from charging content providers premium prices to prioritise some web traffic.
While the ultimate decision over whether to impose new regulations on how broadband internet providers transmit and deliver internet traffic over their networks rests with the Federal Communications Commission, the Department of Justice’s comments represent a significant blow to content companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and eBay.
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Aug 27, 2007
A Sampling of Responses to the FCC Info Tech & Telecom NewsHere’s a sampling from the formal filings of responses to the FCC’s NOI on broadband industry practices and network neutrality. For more excerpts, visit http://www.heartland.org.
“Unfortunately, the negative impact of regulation on technological innovation most likely would not be known until after the fact, resulting in the potential for an unintended consequence to overhaul the market and chill development of products that may actually be of use in stimulating and managing new broadband networks and Internet-based service applications.”—Ad Hoc Telecom Manufacturer Coalition
“Expanding and improving access to broadband will require massive private investment. Without control over their own property, investors would shy away from risking the billions of dollars necessary and new networks would simply not be built. The result of the net neutrality regulation would be one of two options; the complete stagnation of the Internet or extreme increases in cost to consumers for access.”—Americans for Tax Reform
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