FCC Chairman Sets a Framework for Regulating Broadband Providers

Thwarted by the courts, by lawmakers on Capitol Hill and by some of his fellow commissioners, the Federal Communications Commission chairman will try again on Wednesday to devise a new strategy for regulating broadband Internet service providers.In a speech he plans to give Wednesday in Washington, Julius Genachowski, the F.C.C. chairman, will outline a framework for broadband Internet service that forbids both wired and wireless Internet service providers from blocking lawful content. But the proposal would allow broadband providers to charge consumers different rates for different levels of service, according to a text of the speech provided to The New York Times.To read this report in The New York Times in full, see:
www.nytimes.com/2010/12/01/technology/01fcc.htmlAlso see:Web-Traffic Spat Over Netflix Highlights New Tensions
U.S. regulators are looking into a dispute between two large companies that shuttle traffic around the Internet, a business invisible to most consumers but increasingly fraught with tension.The issue gets to the heart of a longstanding argument: Who should pay for the Internet? That debate is getting more pointed as a flood of video drives up the volume of traffic that companies such as Comcast Corp. must carry.
online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704679204575646840288688392.htmlNet neutrality rules set for showdown in the US
US regulators are set for a showdown over rules to ensure an open internet.The rules are intended to prohibit phone and cable companies blocking or discriminating against internet traffic over their broadband networks.Net neutrality was one of the Obama administrations top campaign pledges to the technology industry.Today, the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Julius Genachowski sent draft rules to its members.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11892142FCC Net Neutrality Proposal Sparks Firestorm
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday he has scheduled a December 21 vote on a new regulatory initiative designed to preserve the openness that has been the Internet’s hallmark since its inception, National Journal reported.The network neutrality proposal has already split the agency along party lines, with the commission’s two GOP members quickly condemning it and setting the stage for a partisan vote that could draw a backlash next year from the GOP-controlled House.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/12/fcc-net-neutrality-proposal-sp.php
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20101201_7260.phpFCC chief backs some rationing of Internet traffic
Internet service providers would be allowed to ration web traffic on their networks under a strategy unveiled by the top U.S. communications regulator that no longer focuses solely on open access.Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski proposed banning the blocking of lawful traffic but allowing Internet providers to manage network congestion and charge consumers based on Internet usage.
http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-53282820101201
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6B05EW20101201Net neutrality order in December
After weeks of speculation, the FCC finally put out its December meeting agenda revealing a proceeding on net neutrality.The commission will consider an “Open Internet Order” that adopts some rules to preserve the Internet as a “platform for innovation, investment, competition, and free expression.”
techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/12/breaking-net-neutrality-order.phpInternet Giants Spar Over Fees
Netflix Inc.’s broadband partner is in dispute with Comcast Corp. over who should pay to handle an expected surge in online videos piped over the cable company’s network.Level 3 Communications Inc., which this month unveiled a deal to help Netflix store and stream its movies, accused Comcast of imposing new fees for delivering videos and other content to the cable giant’s customers. Comcast quickly fired back that Level 3 was seeking to burden it with extra Internet traffic without compensation.
online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703945904575645251061168526.html