Net neutrality may be a blow to Comcast
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
By: Peter Crimmins
pcrimmins@whyy.org
Philadelphia-based Comcast is reacting to the Federal Communication Commission's new proposal on managing internet traffic.
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The FCC's responsibility is two-fold, to keep the internet free and open, and to keep an eye on the health of telecom industry.
Doug Faith, an internet service provider in Conshohocken, says the FCC faces a conundrum in how it tries to manage the internet.
Faith: Net Neutrality means unlimited access to all kinds of applications including Skype and Google Talk that allow you to make phone calls over the internet. But that could undermine the cell phone industry.
If the rules say you have to make all your devices open – at that point you've circumvented their entire voice services component, right? You can install Skype on your Blackberry and make voice calls over the internet.
FCC rules governing internet traffic regulations are not finalized – they are being drafted and will be made available for public response in October before approval.
@Doug Faith: The internet is something of an archive, so I will reply belatedly, even though your comments were made months ago.
Skype and Google Talk don't "undermine" the cell-phone companies. Nor do Netflix and Amazon Video-on-Demand undermine broadband ISPs who, in addition to selling their customers bandwidth, are also serving up content and charging top dollar for it. This phenomenon is called "competition". If allowed to flourish, it's how consumers get the best products and services for their money. If the broadband ISPs can choke the bandwidth or drop connections for competing content, then the consumer loses. If a private company were to lease a turnpike and then charge tolls for its use, would it be right and proper for that company to go into the trucking business and then force trucks from competing haulers to use a lane full of potholes while their own trucks use the well-maintained lanes?
The headline: "a *blow* to Comcast" is so biased. Comcast is not a pathetic *victim*! They're a huge corporation and should be expected to compete by offering products and services at the right price points.
Peter,
You've let the cat out of the bag. Comcast will start slowing my access to the web.