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FCC Begins Investigation Into Quality of Internet Download Speeds
The FCC is investigating a practice that purportedly could divide the Internet into fast and slow lanes.
Credit: gigaom.com
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has launched an investigation into recent deals in which entertainment companies have agreed to pay Internet service providers (ISPs) for faster video delivery, a practice that could divide the Internet into fast and slow lanes, according to critics.
The investigation aims to determine whether consumers are getting the speed and quality of service the ISPs promised. FCC chairman Tom Wheeler says the investigation was launched after the agency received more than 19,000 letters commenting on its recently proposed rules that he says are designed to promote Internet freedom and net neutrality.
Critics of the proposal say it would destroy net neutrality by allowing pay-for-priority deals.
There currently are no rules in place to enforce net neutrality, and it is not clear the FCC has the power to implement rules. However, it does have the authority to ensure telecommunications companies act in the public interest, and Wheeler's investigation is legitimate under that authority.
"To be clear, what we are doing right now is collecting information, not regulating," he says. "We are looking under the hood. Consumers want transparency. They want answers. So do I."
From The New York Times
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