Friday, September 7, 2007

US Justice Department Opposes Net Neutrality

Eric Schmidt in an open letter a while ago warned that the internet is facing a serious threat if net neutrality is endangered, saying:

Today the Internet is an information highway where anybody – no matter how large or small, how traditional or unconventional – has equal access. But the phone and cable monopolies, who control almost all Internet access, want the power to choose who gets access to high-speed lanes and whose content gets seen first and fastest. They want to build a two-tiered system and block the on-ramps for those who can’t pay.

WWW inventor Tim Berners-Lee chimed in as well saying “I hope that Congress can protect net neutrality.” Now Associated Press reports:

The Justice Department on Thursday said Internet service providers should be allowed to charge a fee for priority Web traffic.

The agency told the Federal Communications Commission, which is reviewing high-speed Internet practices, that it is opposed to “Net neutrality,” the principle that all Internet sites should be equally accessible to any Web user. (...)

The agency said providing different levels of service is common, efficient and could satisfy consumers. As an example, it cited that the U.S. Postal Service charges customers different guarantees and speeds for package delivery, ranging from bulk mail to overnight delivery.

US Justice Department Opp ... by Philipp Lenssen | Comments (20)

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