Net neutrality is affordable internet access to all Americans. Some broadband providers have proposed to start charging quite a bit more to their customers for higher levels of service, much like cell phone companies. The Federal Communications Commission began an uproar in the net neutrality debate on Thursday when it announced to the world that it will seek public comment on imposing new regulations on Internet service providers to keep them from offering tiered service. In the mean time, Capitol Hill is trying to define the FCC's authority a lot more clearly. But the FCC doesn’t want to have to wait for Congress to get around to it before it regains control of the net neutrality issue.
Resource for this article: FCC proposes net neutrality Third Way
The net neutrality of FCC
Those in favor of net neutrality are consumer groups and free speech advocates like savetheinternet.com. Free market advocates and internet service providers are against it. Until just last week the two versions of net neutrality legislation would prohibit: (1) the “tiering” of broadband through sale of voice- or video-oriented Quality of Service packages; and (2) content- or service-sensitive blocking or censorship on the part of broadband carriers. Last week, the FCC released what is called the “Third Way” plan.
Net neutrality – The 3rd Way
Net neutrality under the third way, according to the Washington Post, seems to be this: Presently, broadband is defined as an data service, which means it doesn’t face much FCC oversight. The new plan could be to shift broadband to the very same classification as all of the telephone service, which would trigger a lot more oversight by the agency. The FCC explains that it would not subject Internet service providers to the full brunt of regulation that would come with the new classification.
Comcast net neutrality case
The FCC’s 3rd Way is some kind of effort to regain control of the net neutrality issue in response to a Federal Court decision in April that overturned a 2008 FCC ruling in the Comcast net neutrality case. In 2007, Comcast was found to be severely delaying BitTorrent uploads on their network, claiming that downloading huge amounts of data was clogging the network. In August 2008, the FCC ruled that Comcast broke the law when it messed with the bandwidth available to certain customers for video files in order to make sure that other customers had adequate bandwidth.
Time Warner net neutrality challenge
In a 2009 test of the net neutrality issue, Time Warner Cable announced its objective to provide broadband packages in 10GB, 20GB, 40GB and 60GB increments. Capped at $75, the plan charges $1 per GB. Time Warner launched the pricing system in a number of markets. The business announced later it would offer larger packages but the public still wasn't amused. They had to abandon the Time Warner net neutrality challenge eventually.
The support network of net neutrality
The FCC voted Thursday to start the controversial process of reclassifying any and all high-speed Internet access to give the agency authority over service providers that would prevent disparate treatment of customers. The Channel Web reports that a week ago, a group of 13 companies including Amazon, Google and Sony sent the FCC a letter in support of the 3rd Way saying that it will ensure that consumers have access to an open Internet, one that would preserve a level playing field for all participants. Those who support net neutrality said the 3rd Way does so without regulating the Internet but by applying basic rules of the road to the transmission services that provide access to the Internet.
Those against net neutrality
Republicans in Congress are adamantly against net neutrality any which way. As outlined by the Los Angeles Times, Republicans offer the familiar argument the Third Way is a lot more government meddling in a free market that will stunt innovation and investment, echoing their Internet-service provider patrons. Texas Republican senator Kay Bailey Hutchison while speaking out against net neutrality explained the agency has created “new burdensome regulations that threaten to stifle the growth of America’s broadband services.”
Google and their net neutrality letter
Google approved of FCC's decision. “As we have said before, broadband infrastructure is too important to be left outside of any oversight,” the company said on The Official Google Blog. Massachusetts Democratic senator Edward J. Markey loved the FCC’s move, calling it a “light-touch regulatory proposal” that would ensure “continued innovation, consumer protection and certainty within the broadband marketplace.”
More information on this topic
savetheinternet.com
savetheinternet.com/
Washington Post
voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2010/06/fcc_votes_to_seek_comment_on_i.html
Channel web
crn.com/networking/224701332
Los Angeles times
latimes.com/business/la-fi-0618-fcc-broadband-20100618,,5300272.story
Google blog
googleblog.blogspot.com/
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