[Infowarrior] - FCC says will act on Web neutrality if needed

[Richard Forno]

 FCC says will act on Web neutrality if needed

1 hour, 54 minutes ago

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080225/wr_nm/internet_fcc_dc&printer=1;_ylt=Apq
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The head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Monday he is
"ready, willing and able" to stop broadband providers that unreasonably
interfere with subscribers' access to Internet content.

The comment by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin came at the start of a day-long FCC
hearing centering on allegations that some broadband providers such as
telecommunications and cable companies have been improperly blocking or
hindering some content.

"I think it's important to understand that the commission is ready, willing
and able to step in if necessary to correct any (unreasonable) practices
that are ongoing today," Martin said.

The dispute over so-called "network neutrality" pits open-Internet advocates
against some service providers such as Comcast Corp, who say they need to
take reasonable steps to manage traffic on their networks.

Martin acknowledged that broadband network operators have a legitimate need
to manage the data flowing over their networks. But he said that "does not
mean that they can arbitrarily block access to particular applications or
services."

The hearing, which included testimony from officials with Comcast and
Verizon, is aimed at determining what network management techniques are
reasonable.

Martin called for "transparency" in the way the companies manage their
networks, and in the prices and services they provide.

The network neutrality dispute has been spotlighted by a series of incidents
in which operators were accused of hindering certain online data moving over
their networks, such as file-sharing or text-messaging.

The issue also has attracted the attention of lawmakers in Congress, who are
weighing a net-neutrality bill introduced last week.

In the most recent example, the FCC has been looking into complaints by
consumer groups that Comcast has blocked some file-sharing services which
are used to distribute large digital media files such as TV shows and
movies.

In comments filed with the FCC, Comcast told regulators that it uses
reasonable measures to manage traffic moving over its network, as some of
its customers overwhelm the network by using file-sharing applications like
BitTorrent.

Comcast, which is the second-largest U.S. Internet service provider with
more than 13 million subscribers, said the use of network management was
essential to avoid congestion and impairment of some applications. The
company denied that it blocks content, applications or discriminates among
providers.

Internet service providers are looking at different ways of managing the
increasing amount of traffic moving across their networks both for cost
management and for quality of service reasons.

Critics have argued that imposing network neutrality regulations on the
Internet would hinder development of the Internet by creating uncertainty
for investors and Internet service providers.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss in Cambridge and Peter Kaplan in
Washington; editing by Tim Dobbyn)