

Ash HN: What are you yelling about wrt Google/Verizon? - jobeirne

From Google's Public Policy Blog, dated Aug. 09:<p>``Today our [Google and Verizon] CEOs will announce a proposal that we hope will make a constructive contribution to the [net neutrality] dialogue. Our joint proposal takes the form of a suggested legislative framework for consideration by lawmakers, and is laid out here. Below we discuss the seven key elements:<p>First, both companies have long been proponents of the FCC’s current wireline broadband openness principles, which ensure that consumers have access to all legal content on the Internet, and can use what applications, services, and devices they choose. The enforceability of those principles was called into serious question by the recent Comcast court decision. Our proposal would now make those principles fully enforceable at the FCC.<p>Second, we agree that in addition to these existing principles there should be a new, enforceable prohibition against discriminatory practices. This means that for the first time, wireline broadband providers <i>would not be able to discriminate against or prioritize lawful Internet content, applications or services in a way that causes harm to users or competition.</i><p>Importantly, this new nondiscrimination principle includes a presumption against prioritization of Internet traffic - including paid prioritization. So, in addition to not blocking or degrading of Internet content and applications, wireline broadband providers also could not favor particular Internet traffic over other traffic. ''<p>http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/search/label/Net%20Neutrality<p>So what's all of the rhubarb about?
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sabj
The main contention is that although this is good news for wireline
businesses, the real future growth in data is expected to be wireless, which
is given a free pass from the "teeth" of this proposal.

Instead, the idea is just to let people "know" when they are being screwed
over, basically, by having a sort of transparency around when things are
unfair.

That's the fear, I believe... and the idea that Google has ceded too much in
the proposal instead of fighting for the same kinds of provisions in the
wireline proposal to exist across all kinds of data channels.

