Editorial
San Francisco Chronicle
The Internet turns into a toll road
Published 4:58 pm, Wednesday, January 15, 2014
The Internet is a wide open highway for every kind of digital traffic. But
a federal appeals court decision changes this vital feature by allowing
firms who run the broadband pipelines to charge higher rates for their bigger
customers, meaning consumers could face larger bills and spotty service.
The court case shreds the notion of "net neutrality," the doctrine giving
equal priority to all Internet traffic. Service providers such as Comcast,
Verizon and AT&T have chafed at the idea as they spend billions to improve
service. For these firms, it's time to charge major users such as Netflix,
Google and iTunes a higher rate since their products are soaking up much of
the bandwidth.
This business argument has major repercussions. If the ruling stands, the
Internet could fundamentally change, and not for the better. Service will
evolve into a toll road with movies, music and other high-traffic commodities
costing more. A website that doesn't want to pay extra for quick
connection will be shafted with slower service. It won't be the open,
accessible
Internet any more.
There's a crumb of legal consolation in the decision, which may be appealed
to the _Supreme Court_
(http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=opinion/editorials&search=1&inlineLink=1&query="Supreme+Cou
rt") . The _Federal Communications Commission_
(http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=opinion/editorials&search=1&inlineLi
nk=1&query="Federal+Communications+Commission") , which adopted a hands-off
attitude as the Internet developed, could seek new rules to oversee and
moderate financial abuses. In fact, the appeals court judges recognized that
the agency had a role to play in the Internet's future.
That next step will hinge on Washington's political mood. Republicans, who
want to restrain the FCC, aren't inclined to fight the court decision,
which came after years of legislative debate that went nowhere. _Democrats_
(http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=opinion/edit
orials&search=1&inlineLink=1&query="Democrats") , including President
Obama, believe net neutrality should be preserved as the online world plays an
ever-growing role in society.
Rep. _Anna Eshoo_
(http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=opinion/editorials&search=1&inlineLink=1&query="Anna+Eshoo";)
, a
Democrat who represents a tech-dominated Peninsula district, said the case
meant that "the open Internet suffers a blow, but it is not irreparable."
It will be up to her and the rest of Congress to modernize Internet
oversight. Access and innovation can't be left to the whims of a handful of
major
firms running an indispensable part of modern life.
--
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