Affordable internet access to all Americans is called Net neutrality. Some broadband providers have proposed to start charging a lot more to their customers for higher levels of service, much like all of the cell phone companies do. The Federal Communications Commission started an uproar in the net neutrality debate on Thursday when it announced that it will seek public remark on imposing new regulations on Internet service providers to keep them from offering tiered service. Meanwhile, there's an effort on Capitol Hill to define more clearly the FCC's authority. But the FCC doesn't want to wait for Congress to get around to it before it regains control of the net neutrality issue.

Resource for this article: FCC proposes net neutrality Third Way By Personal Money Store

The FCC net neutrality

Consumer groups and free speech advocate groups such as savetheinternet.com are in support of net neutrality. Internet service providers and free market advocates are against it. Until just last week the two versions of net neutrality legislation would prohibit: (1) the "tiering" of broadband through sale of voice- or video-oriented Quality of Service packages; and (2) content- or service-sensitive blocking or censorship on the part of broadband carriers. A week ago, the FCC released what is known as the "Third Way" plan.

The Third Way – Net Neutrality

Net neutrality under the 3rd way, as outlined by the Washington Post, appears to be this: Currently, broadband is defined as an data service, which means it doesn't face much FCC oversight. The new plan is to shift broadband to the same classification as telephone service, which would trigger a whole lot more oversight by the agency. The FCC says it would not subject Internet service providers to all of the regulation that would come with the new classification.

Comcast net neutrality case

The FCC's 3rd Way is an effort to regain control of the issue on net neutrality in response to a Federal Court decision in April that overturned a 2008 FCC ruling in the actual Comcast net neutrality case. In 2007, Comcast was found to be severely delaying BitTorrent uploads on their network, claiming that downloading huge amounts of data was clogging the network. In August 2008, the FCC ruled that Comcast broke the law when it throttled the bandwidth available to certain customers for video files in order to make sure that other customers had adequate bandwidth.

Time Warner and the net neutrality challenge

In a 2009 test of the net neutrality issue, Time Warner Cable announced it would like to offer broadband packages in 10GB, 20GB, 40GB and 60GB increments. Capped at $75, the plan charges $1 per GB. Time Warner launched the pricing system in various markets to much public outcry. The business announced later it would offer larger packages but the public nevertheless wasn’t amused. Eventually they had to abandon the Time Warner net neutrality challenge.

Net neutrality supporters

The FCC voted Thursday to begin the controversial procedure for reclassifying high-speed Internet access to give the agency authority over service providers that could prevent disparate treatment of customers. It was reported by the Channel Web that last week, a group of 13 companies including Amazon, Google and Sony sent the FCC a letter in support of the Third Way saying that it will ensure that consumers have access to an open Internet, one that would preserve a level playing field for all participants. Those who support net neutrality said the Third Way does so without regulating the Internet but by applying basic rules of the road to the transmission services that provide access to the Internet.

On the offense of net neutrality

Republicans in Congress are adamantly against net neutrality any which way. The LA Times reports that Republicans offer the familiar argument the 3rd Way is more government meddling in a free market that will stunt innovation and investment, echoing their Internet-service provider patrons. Texas Republican senator Kay Bailey Hutchison speaking out against net neutrality said the agency has certainly made "new burdensome regulations that threaten to stifle the growth of America's broadband services."

Net neutrality letter from Google

Google supported FCC’s decision. "As we have said before, broadband infrastructure is too essential to be left outside of any oversight," the company said on The Official Google Blog. Massachusetts Democratic senator Edward J. Markey applauded the FCC's move, calling it a "light-touch regulatory proposal" that would ensure "continued innovation, consumer protection and certainty within the broadband marketplace."

Find more info on this topic

savetheinternet.com

savetheinternet.com/

Washington Post

voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2010/06/fcc_votes_to_seek_comment_on_i.html Channel web crn.com/networking/224701332

Los Angeles times

latimes.com/business/la-fi-0618-fcc-broadband-20100618,,5300272.story

Google blog

googleblog.blogspot.com/