Net Neutrality

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Rob Frieden <rmf5 () psu edu>
Date: January 30, 2006 2:49:46 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: ip () v2 listbox com
Subject: Net Neutrality

Hello Professor Farber:

        Like many others, I am attempting to make sense of the Net  
neutrality issue. See http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/r/m/rmf5/  
(click on Net Neutrality Piece).

        The piece offers a few aviation analogies to help promote a  
shared understanding of the issue.  I conclude that unless and until  
an ISP like SBC-at&t can provide a complete managed link offering  
superior QOS, net neutrality of the best efforts sort stands as  
standard operating procedure.  I question whether any ISP could hit  
up Google for additional compensation if that ISP lacks privity of  
contract, i.e., a direct contract-based interconnection and carriage  
agreement.

        Several years ago I wrote an article in Telecommunications  
Policy entitled Revenge of the Bellheads:  How the Netheads Lost  
Control of the Internet.  My premise was that because the major  
telecom carriers owned most of the major Tier-1 ISPs eventually the  
Bellhead mindset would attempt to impose telecom pricing and  
structural assumptions.  Now that the industry has consolidated  
further the Bellheads, e.g., SBC/at&t CEO Ed Whitacre wants to impose  
end-to-end pricing premiums based on the assumption that a telecom  
call carriage and termination structure should apply.  This mindset  
ignores the fact that IRUs, VPNs and transit agreements in telecom  
accord the lessee far greater control and pricing power vis a vis  
endusers than Internet best efforts routing via the advertised route  
of a peering or transit providing ISP.

         Regards,

        Rob Frieden
Pioneers Chair and Professor of Telecommunications
Penn State University
102 Carnegie Building, University Park, PA  16802
office: (814) 863-7996; fax (814) 863-8161
home: (814) 867-2545
Web page:        http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/r/m/rmf5/
Faculty profile: http://www.psu.edu/dept/comm/faculty/frieden.html
SSRN Papers Site: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm? 
per_id=102928

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