FCC investigates network neutrality

By Stephen Withers
Monday, 26 March 2007 12:30

IT Policy - Regulation

The US Federal Communications Commission has begun an enquiry "to better understand the behavior of participants in the market for broadband services" - in other words to see whether the traditional non-discriminatory data carriage provided by the Internet is under threat.

"In 2005, the Commission adopted an Internet Policy Statement containing four principles. The intent of these principles was to protect consumers’ access to the lawful online content of their choice and to foster the creation, adoption and use of Internet broadband content, applications, and services," said FCC chairman Kevin Martin.

But since that time, the FCC has classified broadband services as information services, effectively removing them from the scope of those principles.

Consumer groups and e-commerce businesses have been pressing for legislation to prevent broadband providers from blocking or slowing access to certain services (especially those which compete with their own or with their partners' services) or speeding transfers from favoured sources. Not surprisingly, broadband providers have opposed such measures.

"Although we are not aware of any current blocking situations, the Commission remains vigilant in protecting consumers’ access to content on the Internet," added Martin.

"We live in a world where a very few concentrated broadband providers exercise powerful and not always consumer-friendly control over the pipes that come into our homes and businesses," warned commissioner Michael Copps, who (along with commissioner Jonathan Adelstein) believes the FCC should move quickly to enforce net neutrality.

Read on for more of what Copps and advocacy groups said about net neutrality.