OCTOBER 21, 2009, 11:44 A.M. ET Verizon CEO Slams FCC on Net Neutrality
By FAWN JOHNSON Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704597704574487224011507720.html WASHINGTON--Verizon Communications Inc. Chairman Ivan Seidenberg on Wednesday had some harsh words for the Federal Communications Commission a day ahead of its planned vote on open Internet rules, adding to what has become a fever pitch of public debate over the proposal. The speech was delivered on the same day that 30 business investors in technology companies sent a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski praising the rules. In a speech before the SUPERCOMM 2009 conference in Chicago, Mr. Seidenberg said it would be a "mistake, pure and simple" for the FCC to impose a "burdensome regime" of regulation on the Internet, particularly if the rules apply only to Internet service providers like Verizon and not Web companies like Google Inc. "If it applies only to us, the government will in effect be favoring one set of competitors over another," Mr. Seidenberg said. "If this burdensome regime of net regulation is imposed on all parts of the Internet industry, it will inject an extraordinary amount of bureaucratic oversight into the economy's main growth engine for the future." The letter from the tech investors made the opposite argument. "Permitting network operators to close network platforms or control the applications market by favoring certain kinds of content would endanger innovation and investment in an investment sector which represents many billions of dollars in economic activity," it said. The letter was signed by early Google backer John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Flickr co-founders Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, and Daily Candy Founder Dany Levy, among others. The proposed FCC rules, which are in draft form and not yet public, would prevent Internet companies such as Verizon, Comcast Corp. and AT&T Inc. from selectively blocking or slowing certain Web content and would require providers to disclose how they manage their networks. AT&T has launched a full-blown campaign against the proposal, even asking its employees to weigh in on the rule using the FCC's blog. The rules will also apply to the wireless sector, which previously hasn't seen any rigorous oversight on openness. The point-counterpoint din about the FCC rule isn't likely to change the outcome of Thursday's vote, but advocates on both sides are trying to influence how the rules are framed in the months to come. Commissioners at the FCC, meanwhile, are still tweaking the proposed rules. The intent is to be narrowly targeted, according to an FCC official. The rules will contain many questions for affected parties about how the openness requirements should be implemented. -- ================================ George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 Mail: antunes at uh dot edu *********************************** * POST TO [email protected] * *********************************** Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
