Network+Neutrality+and+Internet+Regulation

Ryan Guy Network Neutrality and internet regulation US congress US Telecommunication companies (AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner) Internet Users Why: • Network Neutrality protections have existed for the entire history of the Internet. • Network discrimination through a "tiered Internet" will severely curtail consumer choice. • Network discrimination will undermine innovation, investment and competition. • Network discrimination will fundamentally alter the consumer's online experience by creating fast and slow lanes for Internet content. • Telephone companies have received billion of dollars in public subsidies and private incentives to support network build-out, (not their pipes) • There is little competition in the broadband market. The majority of the country only has one choice. Thus there is not plenty of competition to keep things fair. • H.R. 5252 did not offer any protections Telecommunication companies say they own the internet and should be allowed to filerte whats passed. The basic idea is to create a two tier network where companies who want fast access would pay premiums to be on the faster level. Opponents argue that the internet needs to maintain a free and open flow of ideas and this kind of filtering would destroy the internet. Supporters of net neutrality regulations argue that the current FCC principles are too weak to prevent telecommunications companies from charging fees to certain content providers in exchange for preferential treatment, which they believe will threaten innovation and entrepreneurship on the Internet. They see the Internet as a "level playing-field" which rewards the best ideas rather than the most well-funded ideas and believe that net neutrality guidelines are necessary to maintain this dynamic. Opponents of net neutrality regulations argue that the Internet is not a level-playing field as companies such as Google and Akamai are free to achieve a performance advantage over smaller competitors by replicating servers and buying high-bandwidth services. Service discrimination, against the real background of today's Internet, actually makes the Internet more neutral, according to this view. On June 8, the House of Representatives passed the "Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act of 2006," or COPE Act (H.R. 5252) - a bill that offers no meaningful protections for Net Neutrality. An amendment offered by Rep. Ed Maxkey (D-Mass.), which would have instituted real Net Neutrality requirements, was defeated by intense industry lobbying. Right now: Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) have introduced a bipartisan measure, the "Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2006" (S. 2917), that would provide meaningful protection for Net Neutrality. application (for example the World Wide Web) over others (such as online gaming or Voice over IP).
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 * Network Neutrality ** describes networks that don't favor some destinations over others, or classes of