The Net Gets Closer to Neutrality
Government pushing equal treatment for websites
By SCOTT BUDMAN
Updated 4:34 PM EDT, Tue, Sep 22, 2009
The Net may be neutral after all.
"Net neutrality," the buzzword for a plan to treat all corporations online equally, got a shot in the arm Monday, when FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski stated that he believes all online content should be equal. If this happens, no corporation can determine that some content, or certain users, can be treated differently when it comes to content sent through the web.
The issue became a big deal recently when content giant Comcast briefly slowed down large file transfers sent by some of its customers. Comcast said it had to do so, because the files in question were big enough to slow down the pace of the Internet for some of its other uses.
The FCC shot them down, though, and Comcast (along with others) had to keep the pipes flowing evenly for all customers. Here in Silicon Valley, Web giants like Google have gone on the record supporting Net Neutrality.
As it stands now, the FCC has spoken: The Netshould be equal for all. But don't expect certain dot com giants (Comcast among them) to accept this latest move without argument. After all, these are companies affected by peer-to-peer traffic that threatens to clog things up for the rest of us. Up to now, the FCC has dealt with these cases individually, as they arise. Genachowski wants Net Neutrality put to a formal vote when the FCC meets in October. Get ready to download more.
First Published: Sep 21, 2009 7:31 PM EDT on NBC Bay Area
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