Verizon, Google strike net neutrality deal

Verizon, Google strike net neutrality deal
By Sara Jerome - 08/09/10 02:35 PM ET


Google and Verizon's chief executives unveiled an agreement on Monday that they said would prevent large Internet companies from winning a competitive advantage by paying cable and phone companies to fast-track their content to users.

Under the agreement, which Google CEO Eric Schmidt stressed is a "joint public announcement" and not a "deal," paid prioritization is presumed to violate the rules, according to the executives.

"That was a principle Google established from the beginning," said Verizon chief executive officer Ivan Seidenberg, who joined Schmidt on the call.

snip//

For wireline Internet traffic, the proposal gives the FCC a role in enforcing a non-discrimination rule. The rules only apply to Verizon and Google, but Seidenberg and Schmidt said they want other Internet, phone and cable players to consider adopting their regulations.

In what could prove a major sticking point for net neutrality purists, the agreement does not apply the same traffic management expectations to wireless networks. The agreement includes a disclosure rule for mobile services.

"Our transparency requirement would give people very good information about what services they're purchasing," Seidenberg said.

The executives barely mentioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which suspended its own net neutrality talks as a direct result of the revelation that Google and Verizon were negotiating in private, according to sources close to the agency talks.

"With respect to the FCC, both firms have met many, many times with the FCC. The FCC will review the proposal and make some comments when they get a chance and when they are organized to do that," Schmidt said. The FCC declined to comment on his statement.

more...

http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/113341-verizon-and-google-lay-out-rules-for-the-internet

Verizon and Google are going after WiFi.

in yesterday's NY Times:
"Google’s agreement with Verizon could very well be merely a way for Google to get its data closer to users."

...in which Google and Verizon said that Verizon will reserve some of its lines for paying content-providers such as Google.

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/08/google-verizon-propose-open-vs-paid-internets/

Sorry to see that Google has decided to be evil after all. :(

What really gripes me is the attitude of these corporations that they can just make up the rules of the game they're playing in. I agree with Michael Copps that it's time to guarantee FCC authority over the internet for the benefit of the public.

Hmmm -- I guess G.W. Bush was on to something when he talked about "the Internets." :scared:

...has always been considered a violation of Net Neutrality.

It's double-talk when Verizon and Google claim to be supporting Net Neutrality while saying Verizon will reserve some of their lines for companies who can pay to use those lines.