Latest Network neutrality Stories

Telecom firms squared off against consumer groups on Monday in a debate over whether $7.2 billion in broadband spending should come with a mandate that the Internet remain open to all types of traffic.As the federal government prepares to establish rules for distributing funds from the recently passed economic stimulus package, public interest groups argue that providers positioning themselves to receive the money should adhere to network neutrality and not discriminate based on applications...

Web industry officials met on Thursday to discuss ways to manage network traffic and develop new ways to avoid congestion. Internet service providers met during an event held by the Free State Foundation, a Washington think tank that opposes heavy regulation. Industry heads have become increasingly concerned over Web traffic management since the Federal Communication Commission found Comcast Corp in violation of the agency's open-Internet principles for blocking file-sharing services that use...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Precursor President Scott Cleland released a study today concluding that the ideological tension will only increase between opposing Internet visions: i.e. the call for a government-mandated digital commons vs. defending the existing Internet free market based on property rights. In a first-of-its-kind study, entitled "Neutralism: Identifying the Commons Ideology behind Net Neutrality," Cleland defines, explains and traces the origins of the...

Among the many components of the economic stimulus plan currently making its way through Congress is a provision for significant funding of a massive expansion of broadband Internet access to every part of the country that depends upon dial-up access or has only one high-speed option.  The premise is that building these new networks will create jobs, and that expanding broadband access would trigger new economic activity. However, critics disagree with the idea that broadband funding...

On Wednesday, Google Inc announced a plan to allow Internet users to determine whether providers are intentionally slowing their network.Google's plan is the latest move in a debate over network neutrality between companies like Google and Internet service providers.Companies fear that ISPs will discriminate against some corporations by slowing their networks.  Internet service providers argue that they need the ability to manage growing traffic on their networks.According to Vint Cerf,...

The so-called "Net Neutrality" issue is likely to heat up again after Cox Communications, the third-largest cable company in the U.S., announced on Tuesday it was exploring a new method to keep its subscribers' Internet traffic from cluttering up, the Associated Press reported.Beginning Feb. 9, Cox subscribers in parts of Kansas and Arkansas will soon be given priority to Internet traffic the company deems be time-sensitive, like Web pages, streaming video and online games. Cox said...

Political observers say Google is taking aim at Washington to earn support for network neutrality and expanded high-speed Internet access. Google employees contributed heavily to Barack Obama's campaign for president and Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt served on Obama's transition team. While Obama has vowed, in general, that his administration will not play favorites, Google is certain to become a power player, the Los Angeles Times concluded Saturday. Obama shares the Internet giant's...

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday approved an economic recovery package that includes several provisions including one for open access in wireless service on the Internet. "This legislation is an important step towards getting our economy back on track," said Chairman Henry A. Waxman in a statement. Under the new broadband package, the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) is authorized to distribute $2.825 billion in grants for new expansions of...

The Federal Communications Commission is investigating Comcast Corp. over concerns that it is giving preferential treatment to its phone service at the expense of similar services from competitors.The FCC asked Comcast, the world's largest cable TV operator, to justify what it called "disparate treatment" in a letter addressed to the corporation on Sunday.Philadelphia-based Comcast said it is reviewing the FCC's letter. It has until Jan. 30 to respond.Last year, Comcast changed the way it...

The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Google Inc. has approached Internet carriers with a proposal to create a "fast lane" for its own content, countering it's previously stated stance of equal network access for all content providers. Google has dismissed this story and denied the reports that they had reversed its stance on the issue of "Net neutrality".The newspaper reported that Google had been in talks with major cable and phone companies about getting...