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On Net Neutrality, Feds Go With Google, Against ISPs

Proposed new rules wouldn't allow bandwidth-hogging services to be blocked

By Will McCahill,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 18, 2009 7:05 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Consumers stand to benefit under a proposal, coming Monday, from the Federal Communications Commission that would mandate so-called net neutrality, forcing Internet service providers to treat all Web content equally and not restrict access to sites and services that take up more bandwidth. The Obama administration is siding with the likes of Google and Amazon, the Wall Street Journal reports—and against AT&T, Comcast and others.

Service providers wouldn’t be able to block services that could bog down networks—a prospect particularly troublesome for wireless carriers, which have limited bandwidth to begin with. Consumers could benefit from services currently unavailable—as with AT&T customers gaining access to Skype, the Internet-based phone service now blocked on AT&T’s cell network. A majority of FCC board members would have to support the plan—and three of the five are Democrats who back the net neutrality concept.

Google had urged the government the adopt net neutrality guidelines.
Google had urged the government the adopt net neutrality guidelines.   (Wikimedia Commons)
Will work for bandwidth.
Will work for bandwidth.   (Wikimedia Commons)
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski.   (Federal Communications Commission)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 10 comments
Yourself
Sep 21, 2009 8:03 AM CDT
this is great for the consumer, otherwise it could allow internet companies to charge more for specific sites, kind of like you pay more for certain TV channels. They'd have "tiers" where you would pay more for the same damn thing as someone else is getting. it's all a corporate greed thing. Net Neutrality is what the consumers NEED
chas_m
Sep 19, 2009 12:54 PM CDT
Wait, wait, let me hear that phrase again, I haven't heard it in sooooo long: "Consumers stand to benefit..." Ah, that's nice to hear. It's been a while. Let's hope that phrase gets more workouts over the next eight years, along with "the war crimes trials continue."
DontLikeYou___
Sep 19, 2009 12:17 PM CDT
This sounds good on the surface. But, since Obama is involved, I have to wonder if there is some clause in there that allows Obama to turn of our private internet access. Oh, wait, Obama already proposed that in August of 2009.
Technology • Money • Politics • US

 
Google • net neutrality • Skype • Internet service providers • AT&T • bandwidth • wireless carriers

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