Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

FCC Chairman Proposes Net Neutrality Rules

by Terrence O'Brien on September 22, 2009 at 06:31 AM


The war over Net neutrality may finally be coming to an end. After years of back and forth between ISPs, consumer advocacy groups, Web-based companies like Google, and government officials, formal rules concerning broadband data pipelines are finally being proposed by Federal Communication Commission (FCC) chairman Julius Genachowski.

The proposed policy would prevent service providers of any kind -- including wireless providers like AT&T and Verizon -- from discriminating against particular types of data traffic. The rules still need to be approved by the FCC panel, but three of the five sitting members are Democrats who have already voiced support for Net neutrality. The changes will likely hit cellular providers harder than most, since the new rules would prevent the banning of VoIP calls and streaming video. AT&T, in particular, has proven reluctant to allow such services on its network.

The rules are a boon for consumers and entrepreneurs, however. Providers have repeatedly proposed tiered services, which would provide a "fast track" for large companies while consequently hampering smaller businesses with less capital. These newly proposed rules would give consumers unfettered access to the content and information they want, which -- as we've seen in episodes with Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon -- isn't always a given.

Genachowski will be posting updates and fielding input from citizens at the newly launched OpenInternet.gov. Now is the time to go there and voice your support for, or opposition to, Net neutrality. [From: Wall Street Journal and OpenInternet.gov, via Engadget]

Tags: broadband, fcc, government, net neutrality, NetNeutrality, top

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular