FCC to unveil open Internet plan

[tjw61]

FCC to unveil open Internet plan
By John Poirier - Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:43AM EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. communications regulator plans to unveil proposals Monday for ensuring Web traffic is not slowed or blocked based on its content, sources familiar with the contents of the speech said on Friday.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski will announce plans to ask his fellow commissioners to adopt as a rule net neutrality and four existing principles on Internet access issued by the agency in 2005, one of the sources said.

Net neutrality pits open Internet companies like Google Inc against broadband service providers like AT&T Inc, Verizon Communications Inc and Comcast Corp, which oppose new rules governing network management.

Advocates of net neutrality say Internet service providers must be barred from blocking or slowing traffic based on its content.

But service providers say the increasing volume of bandwidth-hogging services, like video sharing, requires active management of their networks and some argue that net neutrality could stifle innovation.

"He is going to announce rulemaking," said one source familiar with the speech due to be delivered at the Brookings Institution, a public policy think tank.

The rule proposal will also try to seek greater clarity into what constitutes "reasonable" network management by Internet providers.

The FCC could formally propose the rule aimed at both wireless and landline Internet platforms at an open meeting in October.

Because of the implications for applications such as Internet phone calling services, like those provided by eBay Inc's Skype and Google, agency staff are expected to propose setting a lengthy public comment period before any final action.

The Monday speech coincides with a deadline for the FCC to file a court brief in a case against Comcast, which is challenging whether the agency has the authority to regulate actions involving the Internet.

The FCC is expected to defend its position by arguing that the agency has broad authority under the 1996 Telecommunications Act.

Public interest groups praised Genachowski for moving forward with a rule that would protect speech and commerce, predicting the policy move would be a big win for consumers.

"It will be a big win for consumers if the FCC delivers strong net neutrality rules that apply across all technologies," Ben Scott, policy director at Free Press, said in a statement.

(Reporting by John Poirier; Additional reporting by Sinead Carew, Yinka Adegoke in New York; Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco; Editing by Gary Hill and Tim Dobbyn)

[computer2slow]

The net was good while it lasted.

[ken]

[ken]

WASHINGTON -- Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski is proposing that the agency apply tougher open-Internet rules broadly, raising concerns of cable and phone companies and some lawmakers that the government could try to control efforts to offer products such as digital cable or premium business services.

Mr. Genachowski's proposal suggests everything in the Internet pipe is covered by rules prohibiting discrimination against any legal Internet traffic, known as net neutrality, unless the agency says otherwise, according to FCC officials familiar with a draft circulating in the agency.

Internet providers could seek exemptions for so-called premium managed services, like private corporate data networks or pay-TV services, which require guaranteed levels of data speed.

Phone and cable companies worry Mr. Genachowski is trying to turn their broadband lines into "dumb pipes" of Internet data, instead of highly segmented and managed lines that allow them to offer different sorts of services -- at different prices -- to customers.

"We haven't seen the rules yet, so we can't comment on specifics, but we hope the FCC shares our appreciation for the complexity and the societal importance of managed services," said Walter McCormick, president of USTelecom, the phone-industry trade group. "Obviously the more prescriptive the government's approach, the less innovation will be available for consumers."

On Tuesday, 18 Republican senators, including John McCain of Arizona and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, sent a letter to Mr. Genachowski complaining about the net-neutrality proposal, and warning it should only be done with the support of both Republican and Democratic FCC commissioners. Otherwise, the senators wrote, it "reduces the confidence the public and the Congress have in the proposal." It is unclear if the two Republican FCC commissioners will support the proposal. The three Democrats, including Mr. Genachowski, are in favor.

An FCC spokeswoman said the agency would have no comment on the proposed rules before their release.

Net-neutrality supporters argue that if the FCC doesn't apply rules broadly, companies will use that as a loophole, labeling more of their offerings as private services and devoting more space to them. "If there aren't some limits on managed services, it's the monster that eats the whole pipe," said Gigi Sohn, co-founder of Public Knowledge, a public-interest group that has lobbied for net neutrality.

In a Sept. 21 speech announcing his proposal, Mr. Genachowski said that managed services may offer benefits "in limited circumstances."

"I believe such services can supplement -- but must not supplant -- free and open-Internet access, and that we must ensure that ample bandwidth exists for all Internet users and innovators," he said.

Under Mr. Genachowski's proposal, the FCC would change its current net-neutrality guidance, which details consumers' online rights, and focus instead on what Internet service providers are not allowed to do.

Mr. Genachowski's proposal is a working draft that could still change significantly. The FCC is scheduled to vote Oct. 22 on unveiling the proposals to the public. It could be late spring or summer before the final net-neutrality rules are released.

[gtmofflin]

I actually think this will be a step in the right direction. The Telecommunications act IS 13 years old. It was created when I still learned Linux on floppies!