The Net Neutrality State of Play

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[Commentary] The President of the United States weighed in against a fast-lane/slow-lane Internet.

Two conclusions stand out: (1) no new arguments have been ginned up by the big Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like Comcast, Verizon and AT&T that lend a whit of credibility to their entrenched opposition to strong network neutrality rules; and (2) growing grassroots support for a truly open Internet is commanding attention at the highest levels of government.

In spite of all this, the smart talk around town is that the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is still looking for “net neutrality lite” rules that would avoid a huge battle with Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and their friends in Congress.

There are two huge problems here. One is that net neutrality lite doesn’t get the job done. Two is that a huge fight will ensue no matter how the FCC rules.

[Copps served as a commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission from May 2001 to December 2011 and was the FCC's Acting Chairman from January to June 2009]


The Net Neutrality State of Play