Hardware firms oppose Net neutrality laws

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: May 18, 2006 9:46:42 AM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Hardware firms oppose Net neutrality laws
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com

HARDWARE FIRMS OPPOSE NET NEUTRALITY LAWS

[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
The political debate in Washington over the concept known as Net  
neutrality just became a lot more complicated. Some of the largest  
hardware makers in the world, including 3M, Cisco, Corning and  
Qualcomm, sent a letter to Congress on Wednesday firmly opposing new  
laws mandating Net neutrality. Companies including 3M, Cisco, Corning  
and Qualcomm sent a letter to Congress on Wednesday firmly opposing  
new laws mandating Net neutrality--the concept that broadband  
providers must never favor some Web sites or Internet services over  
others. That view directly conflicts with what many software and  
Internet companies have been saying for the last few months. Led by  
Amazon.com, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, those companies have been  
spending millions of dollars to lobby for stiff new laws prohibiting  
broadband providers from rolling out two-tier networks. "It is  
premature to attempt to enact some sort of network neutrality  
principles into law now," says the letter, which was signed by 34  
companies and sent to House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert and  
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. "Legislating in the absence of real  
understanding of the issue risks both solving the wrong problem and  
hobbling the rapidly developing new technologies and business models  
of the Internet with rigid, potentially stultifying rules." The  
letter even goes so far as to applaud a committee vote in the House  
of Representatives on April 26, in which Net neutrality proponents-- 
largely Democrats--lost by a wide margin. "We are pleased that the  
committee rejected attempts to add so-called 'network neutrality'  
provisions to the bill," it says. Even though many of the letter's  
signers are suppliers to telecommunications companies, it still is  
likely to help stall efforts to advance Net neutrality

<http://news.com.com/Hardware+firms+oppose+Net+neutrality+laws/ 
2100-1028_3-6073629.html?tag=nefd.top>


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