• Bloomberg Businessweek reports that the Federal Communications Commission ()FCC) plans to rewrite its rules so that internet providers such as Comcast, Cablevision and Verizon are unable to block content or slow down Internet traffic in a way that could negatively impact content providers such as Amazon and Netflix.
Bloomberg writes that "it’s the latest step in a debate over whether Web content suppliers need protection from Verizon, Comcast Corp. and other companies that control Internet access to homes and businesses. Without rules, providers could charge content companies higher rates for preferred treatment -- expenses that may be passed on to consumers and change the industry’s economics … The FCC has said that without rules to ensure equal access to the Internet, service providers could favor wealthier, established players over startups, squelching innovation."
The "Internet neutrality" issue has been the subject of much legislative and legal wrangling, as people on both side of the issue debate whether the internet should be treated essentially as a public utility, or whether it should be subject to the exigencies of private enterprise.
Bloomberg writes that "it’s the latest step in a debate over whether Web content suppliers need protection from Verizon, Comcast Corp. and other companies that control Internet access to homes and businesses. Without rules, providers could charge content companies higher rates for preferred treatment -- expenses that may be passed on to consumers and change the industry’s economics … The FCC has said that without rules to ensure equal access to the Internet, service providers could favor wealthier, established players over startups, squelching innovation."
The "Internet neutrality" issue has been the subject of much legislative and legal wrangling, as people on both side of the issue debate whether the internet should be treated essentially as a public utility, or whether it should be subject to the exigencies of private enterprise.
- KC's View:
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Count me firmly in the column of people who believe that however the rules are set up, major corporations like Comcast ought not be able to control what we see and how we see it. I'm no lawyer, but the proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable by Comcast is somewhat worrisome … that strikes me as a potential behemoth that would have way too much power.
