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All of Your Eggs in the Internet Lobby?

“Right now, I would never invest in a business model that depended on protection from Net neutrality”

— Blair Levin analyst with Stifel Nicolaus.

This quote is from the April 27, BusinessWeek online story by Burt Helm, Tech Giants’ Internet Battles. The story discusses how a “host” of tech companies, including Google, Yahoo, and Intel going up against the telcos, AT&T and the cable companies to prevent them from offering favored service to providers of their choosing.

It’s a little scary.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 4-29-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’ve added these links to the Net Neutrality Page today.

Sneaking In The Back Door

Well, surprise, surprise! Two of the leaders of the fight to have Markey’s amendment voted down certainly appear to be in the back pocket of a couple of telecommunications giants who have a direct interest in seeing the amendment defeated! How about that?

December 15, 2005 At Stake: The Net as We Know It

. . . network operators figure they can charge at the source of the traffic — and they’re turning to technology for help. Sandvine and other companies, including Cisco Systems (CSCO ), are making tools that can identify whether users are sending video, e-mail, or phone calls. This gear could give network operators the ability to speed up or slow down certain uses.

That capability could be used to help Internet surfers. BellSouth, for one, wants to guarantee that an Internet-TV viewer doesn’t experience annoying millisecond delays during the Super Bowl because his teenage daughter is downloading music . . .

. . . But express lanes for certain bits could give network providers a chance to shunt other services into the slow lane, unless they pay up. . . .

That could result in an Internet of haves, who can afford to pay the network operators more to ensure smooth service, and have-nots. Trouble is, those have-nots may include the Next Big Thing . . . The fewer innovative services on the Net, the less reason Web users have to want broadband. Both the network operators and the Internet could lose out in the end.

Tech Giants’ Internet Battles

Pushing such regulation through will be difficult for the Internet companies, says Blair Levin, analyst with Stifel Nicolaus. Consider Supreme Court rulings like the National Cable & Telecommunications Assoc. vs. Brand X in June, 2005, which gave cable operators autonomy in sales of broadband services, and similar allowances by the FCC last summer for telecom operators. . . .

Plus, the Internet companies — whose lobbying efforts have been close to nonexistent up until a few years ago — are going up against some of the most well-funded and experienced lobbyists in the business, making for a fairly lopsided battle. “Right now, I would never invest in a business model that depended on protection from Net neutrality,” says Levin.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 4-28-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’ve added these links to the Net Neutrality Page today.

Net Neutrality” under siege

Congressmen Barton and Rush have been put under the microscope by opponents lately for their financial relationships with the telecommunications industry. Both vocal opponents of Net Neutrality provisions in the Commerce Committee, Barton and Rush led the charge in defeating the Markey Amendment.

Many find it no small coincidence that out of Barton’s top three campaign contributors, the second and third largest ones are SBC Communications (now AT&T) and Comcast Corporation. Tied for 12th among contributions is the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.

The Chicago Sun-Times points out that Bobby Rush, the only Democrat to sponsor the bill, recently “received a $1 million grant from the charitable arm of SBC/AT&T” for a community organization Rush is associated with called the Rebirth of Englewood Community Development Corporation.

Net Neutrality: Congresswoman Lois Capps Responds by Marksb of Daily Kos quoting a response to his concerns by his Congresswoman Lois Capps

The Energy and Commerce Committee, on which I serve, recently considered the Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006, which would update the nation’s telecommunications laws. I voted for an amendment, sponsored by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), that would require that high-speed internet service providers operate their network in a non-discriminatory fashion. Unfortunately, this amendment was defeated on a 22-34 vote. Partly because of the lack of network neutrality provisions, I voted against the bill on final passage, but it passed 42-12.

I am committed to an internet that remains open and equally accessible to all. Network providers should not create shortcuts in the internet for preferred content, which would undermine the internet’s democratic nature.

Taking sides on Net neutrality

And this Proponents say such laws are needed to prevent broadband providers from abusing their control over Internet access by blocking traffic or charging content providers extra for special service. An amendment concerning those issues had received support from companies including Microsoft, Amazon.com and Google.

But opponents say the fears are overblown, and warned that the proposed legislation gave the Federal Communications Commission too much power to regulate the Internet.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE

Net Neutrality 4-27-2006

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Net Neutrality Links

I’ve added these links to the Net Neutrality Page today.

Alyssa Milano Chimes In On Net Neutrality [via Jeff Pulver]

The Markey Amendment says that telecommunication and cable giants like AT&T and Verizon that provide broadband access have the obligation “not to block, impair, degrade, discriminate against, or interfere with the ability of any person to use a broadband connection to access, use, send, receive, or offer lawful content, applications, or services over the Internet.” The House Committee votes on the amendment today.

As it stands, the bill introduces the Federal Communications Commission to the issue requiring the FCC to address Net Neutrality complaints and levy fines of $500,000 against those found in violation.

Save the Internet.com, House Committee Vote Results: The Momentum Shifts in Our Favor

Ok, so the vote on the Markey amendment to protect the internet has happened, and it was voted down, 34-22. That is a big deal. It’s too bad we lost the vote, but we expected that loss. What we did not expected was the narrow margin. By way of comparison, the subcommittee vote was 23-8, which means we should have gotten blown out of the water.

And this Net Neutrality You-Tube link [via AskaNinja.com]

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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NET NEUTRALITY PAGE