BROADBAND FIRMS FIGHT FOR PREMIUM TREATMENT

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: December 21, 2005 10:35:40 AM EST
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] BROADBAND FIRMS FIGHT FOR PREMIUM TREATMENT
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com

BROADBAND FIRMS FIGHT FOR PREMIUM TREATMENT
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: David Hatch]

AT&T, BellSouth and Verizon Communications are fiercely lobbying to  
retain language in a pending House telecommunications bill that would  
permit them to offer premium tiers of high-speed Internet service  
favoring their content. The draft bill, floated recently by  
Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, contains  
"network neutrality" provisions intended to prohibit telecom and  
cable companies from blocking or impeding competitors on their high- 
speed networks. But the draft makes an exception for companies to  
offer multiple tiers, resulting in potentially faster transmission  
rates for them and slower speeds for competitors. "Do you want the  
Internet ... of the last 10 years, or do you want it to look like a  
cable system?" asked Gerry Waldron, an attorney representing a  
coalition of Internet companies. "They're fooling around with the  
basic DNA of the Internet here," added Art Brodsky, a spokesman for  
Public Knowledge. "What they're trying to do is make it their  
Internet." The coalition members said they recognize that  
communications carriers have a right to manage their networks to  
carry bandwidth-hungry video without interruption.

<http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb- 
TMKJ1135117419682.html>


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