Communications of the ACM
Web Plan From Google and Verizon Is Criticized
Google and Verizon's proposal for how Internet service should be regulated was criticized by groups in favor of keeping the Web as open as possible. The proposal prevents Internet service providers from blocking producers of online content or offering them a paid "fast lane," and it calls on the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to stop or fine rule-breakers. However, it creates an exception for Internet access over wireless networks, and for potential new services that broadband providers might offer.
The plan "creates an Internet for the haves and an Internet for the have-nots," says Media Access Project's Jay Schwartzman. Critics also warn that the proposal leaves out future services that broadband providers may create. "It is time to move a decision forward—a decision to reassert FCC authority over broadband telecommunications, to guarantee an open Internet now and forever, and to put the interests of consumers in front of the interests of giant corporations," says FCC commissioner Michael J. Copps.
Some Internet firms are wary of the proposal. "We are concerned that this proposal appears to condone services that could harm consumer Internet access," says Amazon.com's Paul Misener.
From The New York Times
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