This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.
On December 10, its five commissioners were sent a letter to "preserve the Open Internet, promote universal broadband access, and protect consumers in a concentrated (industry dominated) marketplace." Doing so is essential "for democratic participation, commerce and innovation."
The FCC itself acknowledged that "The Internet's openness, and the transparency of its protocols, have been critical to its success." It's time to show it by enforcing Net Neutrality rules.
"However, adopting limited protections while giving tacit approval to other harmful practices will not adequately preserve the open Internet. If the current draft Order is adopted without substantial changes, (ISPs) will be free to engage in a number of practices that harm consumers, stifle innovation and threaten to carve up the Internet in irreversible ways."
Moreover, the Order is legally shaky, undermining not only Internet policy, but also "the Commission's entire broadband agenda."
Free Press listed five specific problem areas:
(1) Paid Prioritization: It's "the antithesis of openness. Any framework that does not prohibit such economic discrimination arrangements is not real Net Neutrality." Unless these practices are prohibited, ISPs will exploit the rules to their own advantage, effectively creating two Internets.
(2) Adequate Protections for Wireless: Earlier, Genachowski himself said, "It is essential that the Internet itself remain open, however users reach it." Yet his proposal "leaves wireless users vulnerable to application blocking and discrimination....permanently enshrining Verizon and AT&T as the gatekeepers for all new uses of the wireless Web."
(3) Loophole-Free Definitions: "The draft Order's definition of Broadband Internet Access Service could easily be exploited by ISPs seeking to evade or exempt themselves from the rules....Reasonable network management cannot be a loophole used by network operators to evade the rules."
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
1
