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FCC Action Against Comcast Meets Mixed Reactions
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In the Comcast case, an Associated Press investigation in late 2007 found that it was slowing P-to-P traffic for many users. Comcast first denied the reports, then said it was slowing P-to-P traffic only during times of peak network congestion.
But other studies concluded that Comcast was interfering with P-to-P traffic around the clock.
The FCC's action protects consumers, Web sites and providers of Web applications, said Ed Black, president and CEO of the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a tech trade group.
CCIA thanked commissioners "for their superior understanding of the need to check monopoly and duopoly ISPs who attempt to act as online gatekeepers and for their historic and courageous action today," Black said. "Stopping discriminatory network management practices is important to the flow of information in our democracy and to the economic growth that is made possible by an open Internet."
The FCC investigation into Comcast's network management practices generated thousands of comments from Internet users, most of them calling for the FCC to stop Comcast's traffic throttling.
AT&T and Verizon, two other large broadband providers, said the FCC's actions show there's no need for further rules or legislation to enforce net neutrality.
"Regardless of how one views the merits of the complaint against Comcast, the FCC today has shown that its national Internet policies work, and that they are more than sufficient for handling any net neutrality concerns that may arise," Jim Cicconi, AT&T senior executive for external and legislative affairs, said in a statement.
Self-governance and some government oversight is appropriate to police individual broadband providers, added Tom Tauke, Verizon's executive vice president of public affairs, policy and communications. In addition, the case shows that broadband providers must inform customers of their network management practices, he added.
"The entire industry should redouble its efforts to set standards for transparency and ensure that consumers know what they are getting when purchasing access or using applications," Tauke said in a statement. "And we should get ahead of the curve in developing and adopting sound network-management practices as new services emerge."
