Broadband News
News, views and analysis
FCC to consult American public on net neutrality rules
14 Jun 2010 | 17.16 Europe/London
The FCC is to consult the American public on Thursday over proposed new rules which will allow it to govern broadband provision.
The telecommunications regulator is having to bring in new guidelines after a court ruled in April that the law does not give the body as far reaching powers with broadband providers as it does with traditional telecommunications providers.
The test case was brought against the FCC by Comcast which is one of several companies opposed to the FCC having a greater say in how telecoms companies run their broadband business. At the heart of the matter is net neutrality. Some broadband providers want to have the power to prioritise certain types of traffic, such as, perhaps, slowing down P2P movie downloading so VoIP customers get a more consistent service. However, the FCC and net neutrality campaigners are concerned that this could mean some types of customers could have their data flow prioritised to the detriment of others. They believe all should be treated the same when it comes to data provision.
For the National Broadband Plan to work and bring broadband to all by 2020, the FCC believes it must be allowed to regulate broadband as if it were any other telecom’s service. Opponents suggest it is an unnecessary interference.
The public will be able to have their say during Thursday’s public meeting. A decision by the FCC on reclassifying broadband provision to the same level of regulation as voice services is expected later this month.
The telecommunications regulator is having to bring in new guidelines after a court ruled in April that the law does not give the body as far reaching powers with broadband providers as it does with traditional telecommunications providers.
The test case was brought against the FCC by Comcast which is one of several companies opposed to the FCC having a greater say in how telecoms companies run their broadband business. At the heart of the matter is net neutrality. Some broadband providers want to have the power to prioritise certain types of traffic, such as, perhaps, slowing down P2P movie downloading so VoIP customers get a more consistent service. However, the FCC and net neutrality campaigners are concerned that this could mean some types of customers could have their data flow prioritised to the detriment of others. They believe all should be treated the same when it comes to data provision.
For the National Broadband Plan to work and bring broadband to all by 2020, the FCC believes it must be allowed to regulate broadband as if it were any other telecom’s service. Opponents suggest it is an unnecessary interference.
The public will be able to have their say during Thursday’s public meeting. A decision by the FCC on reclassifying broadband provision to the same level of regulation as voice services is expected later this month.