Monday, September 28, 2009
Editorial: Net neutrality would protect consumers
The Internet grew and prospered based on a spirit of open access.
From the RoundTable blog
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The individual zeroes and ones of Internet traffic might look the same, but put a few of them together and networks can tell where they came from and where they are going. With that knowledge, Internet service providers can control which data speed along the fastest. Virtual tollbooths could stifle competition as ISPs open the fast lanes only to companies willing to meet their price.
In a speech last week, Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski announced plans to prevent that. He endorsed "net neutrality" policies.
Simply put, net neutrality would forbid ISPs from playing favorites with data. They would have to treat each one and zero the same.
Without net neutrality, a provider could slow access to YouTube and Hulu in order to prevent its customers from being able to watch videos. Suddenly the company's own television and on-demand services would look a lot more enticing.
The same sort of abuse could occur with voice services -- goodbye Skype and Vonage -- or search engines. If an ISP strikes a deal with Yahoo, it could make Google unbearably sluggish.
An even playing field in cyberspace allows innovative companies room to thrive and, equally important, it protects consumers.
Net neutrality does not forbid charging customers based on how much bandwidth they use. But bandwidth hogs should pay more because they are hogs not because of what they choose to download.
Genachowski's announcement is just the start. He laid out guiding principles, nothing more. The FCC will develop formal rules with input from industry and consumers.
As the new rules take shape, their writers should keep an eye toward flexibility. Genachowski urged rules that would apply to all Internet connections -- not just the cables into a home, but also cellphones and whatever exotic connections might come in the future.
Federal regulations and laws too often fall behind the technology curve. For once, the head of the FCC wants to protect consumers by riding the digital crest with net neutrality.
