FTC States That ISPs Should Not Block Access

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Richard Forno <rforno () infowarrior org>
Date: December 30, 2005 10:12:44 AM EST
To: Blaster <rforno () infowarrior org>
Cc: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: FTC States That ISPs Should Not Block Access

FTC States That ISPs Should Not Block Access
http://www.freepress.net/news/13101
From Ars Technica, December 28, 2005
By Jeremy Reimer

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a statement in  
principle
that, in theory, should promote the idea of “network neutrality,” the  
idea
that Internet network operators should not prioritize or block  
network data
based on content. The FTC stated that ISPs should not block access to  
any
lawful content, services, or applications on the Internet.

The statement is the first ray of hope for saving network neutrality,  
which
has taken a beating recently. ISPs in some countries have been  
blocking VoIP
data as “inappropriate content” while others have announced or  
implemented
plans for offering “premium access” services that favor the ISP’s own  
data
while crippling the competition’s.

However, there is another angle that the network providers may use to  
chip
away at network neutrality. It involves invoking the modern age’s  
biggest
bugaboo: security. The concept is to restrict consumer’s access to  
parts of
the Internet based on their computer software and hardware  
configuration. In
the guise of protecting users from malware, certain software packages  
may be
required to connect to parts of the Internet. The presence of  
software that
wasn’t on the whitelist, which would presumably include malware  
(although
not the infamous Sony rootkit, as it would probably be flagged safe as
coming from a “trusted source”), would deny the user access. This  
would also
encourage the movement to a “two-tier” Internet, where customers  
would pay
for “premium” access to certain content (for example, an ISP’s VoIP
service).

Besides the FTC, another major voice coming out in favor of network
neutrality these days is none other than Microsoft. According to Chief
Privacy Officer Peter Cullen, Microsoft is against ISPs doing  
anything that
would restrict customers’ choice of software. Certainly the software  
giant
would not like to find its own software on “quarantined lists.”  
Unlike the
telcos and cable companies, Microsoft does not own the channel of
distribution for its products. It relies on the Internet for  
distributing
and updating much of its new web-centric software these days. And  
Microsoft
has its own VoIP plans as well as new video content offerings over  
Windows
Media Center Edition. Is the company planning on becoming a champion of
network neutrality purely for its own interest, for those of  
consumers, or
both?

This article is from Ars Technica. If you found it informative and  
valuable,
we strongly encourage you to visit their website and register an  
account to
view all their articles on the web. Support quality journalism.




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