Net Neutrality Draft Circulated
Source: Multichannel News
A discussion draft of new Republican-helmed network neutrality legislation is being circulated on Capitol Hill and it would define paid prioritization, which would be disallowed, and the reasonable network management and specialized services that would be allowable.
As advertised by its Republican co-sponsors earlier in the week, it is appears meant to achieve most of the aims of the FCC's former rules--no blocking, unreasonable discrimination--plus guard against paid prioritization, but doing so while clarifying that Internet access is an information service--as the FCC has been treating it--rather than a telecom service subject to Title II.
Here is the new section: ‘‘SEC. 13. INTERNET OPENNESS. 8 ‘‘(a) OBLIGATIONS OF BROADBAND INTERNET AC9 CESS SERVICE PROVIDERS.—A person engaged in the pro vision of broadband Internet access service, insofar as such person is so engaged—12 ‘‘(1) may not block lawful content, applications, or services, subject to reasonable network manage ment; may not prohibit the use of non-harmful 16 devices, subject to reasonable network management; may not throttle lawful traffic by selectively slowing, speeding, degrading, or enhancing Internet traffic based on source, destination, or content, subject to reasonable network management; may not engage in paid prioritization; and shall publicly disclose accurate and relevant information in plain language regarding the network management practices, performance, and commercial terms of its broadband Internet access services sufficient for consumers to make informed choices regarding use of such services and for content, application, service, and device providers to develop, market, and maintain Internet offerings, except that a provider is not required to publicly disclose competitively sensitive information or information that could compromise network security or undermine the efficacy of reasonable network management practices."
The bill would allow for specialized services, defined as "services other than broadband Internet access service that are offered over the same network as, and that may share network capacity with, broadband Internet access service.’’ - See more at: http://www.multichannel.com/news/technology/net-neutrality-draft-circulated/386986#sthash.jxRCoXJK.dpuf
Read more: http://www.multichannel.com/news/technology/net-neutrality-draft-circulated/386986
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I"m not holding my breath however.......
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/16/net-neutrality_n_6487914.html
Sprint has come out in support of granting the government strong authority to enforce net neutrality, bucking the trend of cell phone carriers fighting efforts to keep the Internet free and open.
The Federal Communications Commission will vote on a net neutrality plan next month. President Barack Obama has urged the agency to reclassify consumer broadband under Title II of the Telecommunications Act, a move that would empower the FCC to block Internet service providers from charging for faster Internet access.
In a letter sent to the FCC on Thursday, Sprint Chief Technology Officer Stephen Bye wrote that the company "does not believe that a light touch application of Title II ... would harm the continued investment in, and deployment of, mobile broadband services."
"So long as the FCC continues to allow wireless carriers to manage our networks and differentiate our products, Sprint will continue to invest in data networks regardless of whether they are regulated by Title II, Section 706, or some other light touch regulatory regime," the letter concluded.
This is a dramatic backtrack from what cell phone carriers have previously argued, namely, that a Title II net neutrality plan would devastate the economy and discourage investment in Internet services.
