Latest Network neutrality Stories
By Elwin Green, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Jul. 22--Privacy, fairness and commercial possibility were among the themes sounded yesterday at a hearing by the Federal Communications Commission on "Broadband and the Digital Future," at Carnegie Mellon University. In an unusual move, all five members of the commission came to Pittsburgh to hear testimony from panelists in two sessions, "The Future of Digital Media," and "The Broadband of Tomorrow." The public also was invited to comment...
By Chris O'Brien, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Jul. 16--Those like me who believe in a free and open Internet are on the cusp of a major victory. And we have barbershop quartet music to thank. Last week, Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said he proposed FCC rule that cable giant Comcast had violated the agency's principles regarding open access to the Internet. This proposed ruling involves perhaps the biggest battle yet to establish the concept of...
By Bob Fernandez, The Philadelphia Inquirer Jul. 12--Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin, staking out new regulatory ground on the Internet, said yesterday that he would seek an enforcement action against Comcast Corp. for slowing down heavy Internet users who were downloading movies and other large data files. The Philadelphia company used "too blunt an instrument" in managing its network and didn't adequately disclose its bandwidth restrictions to subscribers,...
WASHINGTON -- A recommendation to punish Comcast Corp. for blocking subscribers' Internet traffic should serve as a warning to other service providers, the nation's top telecommunications regulator said Friday. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said he hopes his action will make network operators sensitive about putting "arbitrary limits on the way consumers can access information on the Internet."The Associated Press reported Thursday night that Martin will...
By Wailin Wong, Chicago Tribune Jul. 12--For as long as consumers have had high-speed Internet at home, they have surfed the Web as much as they wanted, downloading any content while paying their service provider a flat monthly fee. Those days may be ending. Internet service providers, especially cable companies, are eyeing new pricing models to address the rapidly growing popularity of such applications as streaming online video and the sharing of large files. These programs can eat up...
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today expressed its opposition to news that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering levying sanctions against the Comcast Corporation for blocking some Internet traffic. "While some companies may choose to offer unfettered Internet access to attract consumers, it should never be forced upon by the government," said CAGW President Tom Schatz. "What the FCC is contemplating amounts to imposing network neutrality.""Net neutrality"...
By Michael Rau, Daily Press, Newport News, Va. Jul. 7--I suppose that anyone who writes a regular column on specific subject matter is going to find themselves occasionally revisiting topics. Such is the case this week. Almost a year ago, I wrote a column (http://dailypress.asoundidea.com/Columns/073007.html) comparing the cost and speed of broadband Internet service in the United States with that in other developed countries. I had hoped to spark a discussion as to why the U.S. lagged...
By Goldsborough, Reid Change inevitably brings conflict. As such, the biggest Internet controversy these days is over "Net neutrality," also referred to by the more technical term of "packet prioritization," though the meanings are opposite. With Net neutrality, all packets of data are treated equally, none given priority over another, regardless of whether the originator is Disney putting out trailers for its latest blockbuster or your dizzy neighbor putting out homespun footage of his...
Cable operator Cox Communications may be blocking the file-sharing traffic of its Internet subscribers, according to research by the Max Planck Institute. The research suggests Cox may be interfering in the same way in which Comcast Corp. has come under recent regulatory scrutiny.A study based of 8,175 Internet users around the world found conclusive signs of blocked file-sharing connections at just three Internet service providers: Comcast and Cox in the U.S., and Singapore's StarHub.Of...
An investigation of how Comcast Corp manages its network has raised further concerns about tactics the company used to restrict Internet users who share movies and other material, according to U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin.The top U.S. communications regulator testified before Senate lawmakers on Tuesday and said Comcast had used a "blunt" technique to impose broad restrictions on peer-to-peer file-sharing."Contrary to some claims, it does not...
