The Utopian dream of net neutrality argues that the Internet should remain a vast, global frontier where free-range ideas and clever content can percolate without the interference or restrictions of government or Internet Service Providers. But that dream may be beginning to unravel. This August, Google and Verizon have forged a deal that could change life as we know it.
According to the Google-Verizon proposal: “Broadband Internet access service providers are permitted to engage in reasonable network management.” It also allows the ISP to “prioritize general classes or types of Internet traffic, based on latency; or otherwise to manage the daily operation of its network.”
FCC commissioner Michael J. Copps said in response to the Google-Verizon proposal, “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.” But Google and Verizon were not the first to threaten net neutrality.
According to PC World analyst Tony Bradley: “Comcast drew first blood in the net neutrality battle by violating the principles of the Broadband Policy Statement established by the FCC in 2005. Intentionally choking peer-to-peer networking traffic, and giving other Internet traffic preferential treatment on the Comcast network drew attention to the cause and illustrated why the FCC should have stronger oversight to protect national and consumer interests.”
“If net neutrality were a game of chess,” Bradley states,”the industry players may have outwitted the FCC and dodged increased regulatory oversight of wired and wireless broadband simply by dragging things out. “
Blogosphere tech analyst Ted Dziuba feels that Google has always talked out of both sides of its mouth when it comes to neutrality. He paraphrases their attitude this way: “We (Google) want to run our business how we please, but you (government) should force the Internet Service Providers to run their business how we please. It’s just really convenient for us that way. Please, government, step in and save us.”
Broadsight analyst Alan Patrick is more philosophical. "So all the gnashing of teeth and wailing, calling Google a 'Surrender Monkey' is to me a sign of Tech bloggers being either largely incompetent or asleep at their terminals for the last 2 years."
The Internet has never been static and the illusion of net neutrality may have been nothing more than a pipe dream. Things change, right? Otherwise, we’d all still be using dial up. And who’d want that?
