[Infowarrior] - Google accused of betraying internet golden rule in net neutrality row

[Richard Forno]

Google accused of betraying internet golden rule in net neutrality row
By Andy Bloxham
Published: 11:31AM BST 06 Aug 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/7929882/Google-accused-of-betraying-internet-golden-rule-in-net-neutrality-row.html

Google, the internet giant, has been accused of betraying one of the most widely accepted "laws" of the internet called net neutrality; the principle that everyone has equal access.

The firm has admitted that it has been in talks with the US communications provider Verizon and even agreed an outline plan on how internet traffic should be carried over networks.

However, many have already voiced fears that if the plan becomes public, it could serve as a blueprint for how to carve up the internet and sell the best performance to the highest bidder.
 
Some critics have described it as "doomsday scenario" that "marks the beginning of the end of the internet as you know it".

Google said discrimination is permissible in some circumstances.

The principle of net neutrality was one of the founding ideas of the web.

Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge, a digital rights campaign group, said: "The deal between Verizon and Google about how to manage internet traffic is deeply regrettable and should be considered meaningless.

"The fate of the internet is too large a matter to be decided by negotiations involving two companies."

Josh Silver, president of Free Press, a media reform group, wrote a piece in the Huffington Post and warned: "Since its beginnings, the Net was a level playing field that allowed all content to move at the same speed, whether it's ABC News or your uncle's video blog.

"That's all about to change, and the result couldn't be more bleak for the future of the Internet, for television, radio and independent voices."

Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Google, said it had been "talking to Verizon for a long time about trying to get an agreement on what the definition of net neutrality is".

He added: "People get confused. What we mean is that if you have one data type, like video, you don't discriminate against one person's video in favour of another. It's OK to discriminate across different types."

The news of the Google-Verizon deal, despite its detail remaining unclear, came shortly before high-powered talks in the US on regulating the internet concluded at short notice.

Earlier this year, the firm Comcast was fined for secretly slowing down the connections of customers who downloaded too much information, although the fine was overturned on appeal.

After that judgment it remains unclear what companies can legally do to control access.

In the UK, the BBC has been criticised for the popularity of its iPlayer service meaning the Corporation uses too much of the country's communications network.