Comcast, Like AT&T, Loves Wheeler's Version of Net Neutrality ...Because it Ignores All the Modern Fronts in the Neutrality War You'll recall that AT&T recently threw their full support behind the FCC's latest version of flimsy neutrality rules resting upon legally-dubious Section 706 authority. AT&T supports this path because said rules (in their previous form and in their new, regurgitated form) don't cover wireless, are filled with numerous, giant loopholes, and may not be enforceable in the first place. More importantly, Wheeler's current version of a neutral Internet willfully ignores all the areas where the current net neutrality fight is actually being fought. For example, Wheeler seems perfectly happy to greenlight AT&T's "creative" efforts to abuse gatekeeper authority via services like sponsored data, which charges companies (that can afford it) a fee if they'd like their content to receive special treatment. In a 71 page filing with the FCC this week (pdf, via Ars Technica), Comcast Senior VP of Regulatory Affairs Kathryn Zachem notes Comcast is, like AT&T, a big fan of Wheeler's proposals. Like AT&T, Comcast is happy to support the FCC so long as they remain focused on attacking phantoms (things ISPs have no interest in doing, like blocking entire websites or services) while ignoring the real, more clever, modern threats to net neutrality. That includes caps, as noted above, but it also includes the peering and interconnection fights which has simply moved the neutrality discussion from the last mile out to the edge network. Proclaims Comcast: quote: "Traffic-exchange arrangements have nothing to do with the ability of end users to access particular content or to use particular applications or services, and nothing to do with the priority with which content might be delivered to end users over a broadband Internet access service. For these reasons, Chairman Wheeler correctly acknowledged in his statement accompanying the NPRM that traffic exchange ‘is a different matter that is better addressed separately’ from this proceeding, and explained to industry stakeholders in February that traffic exchange ‘is not the same issue’ as net neutrality." Loyal to campaign contributors to the last, the FCC seems inclined to agree, pretending that interconnection issues and usage caps have nothing to do with network neutrality. That might not be quite so problematic if the FCC hadn't just spent a decade ignoring the sector's competition shortcomings -- shortcomings that ensure there's not enough competition in place to organically prevent significant abuses without meaningful consumer protections. The FCC would be quick to remind us that these rules aren't final, and that consumer input into crafting them will see equal weight as large ISP lobbying -- but those familiar with this particular rodeo likely know better. Loyal to campaign contributors to the last, the FCC seems inclined to agree, pretending that interconnection issues and usage caps have nothing to do with network neutrality. That might not be quite so problematic if the FCC hadn't just spent a decade ignoring the sector's competition shortcomings -- shortcomings that ensure there's not enough competition in place to organically prevent significant abuses without meaningful consumer protections. The FCC would be quick to remind us that these rules aren't final, and that consumer input into crafting them will see equal weight as large ISP lobbying -- but those familiar with this particular rodeo likely know better.







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davidc502

join:2002-03-06

Mount Juliet, TN 4 recommendations davidc502 Member Traffic Agreements Quote:

"Traffic-exchange arrangements have nothing to do with the ability of end users to access particular content or to use particular applications or services, and nothing to do with the priority with which content might be delivered to end users over a broadband Internet access service."



This is total bogus. Traffic exchange arrangements have EVERYTHING to do with the ability of end users to access content. Maybe not in a Yes/No arrangement, but in a timely matter > Absolutely.



They want to muddy the waters and skirt around the real issues so they can get what they want, which is not in the customers best interests.