The “Net Neutrality” plan proposed by Google & Verizon on August 9, is drawing lots of comments from all quarters – most are not supportive.
Today Google’s Public Policy Blog posted a defense today:
Over the past few days there’s been a lot of discussion surrounding our announcement of a policy proposal on network neutrality we put together with Verizon. On balance, we believe this proposal represents real progress on what has become a very contentious issue, and we think it could help move the network neutrality debate forward constructively.We don’t expect everyone to agree with every aspect of our proposal, but there has been a number of inaccuracies about it, and we do want to separate fact from fiction…
The NY Times notes that companies are taking sides.
Facebook, one of the companies that has flourished on the open Internet, indicated Wednesday that it did not support the proposal by Google and Verizon.Meanwhile an executive of AT&T, one of the companies that stands to profit from looser regulations, called the proposal a “reasonable framework.”
Most media companies have stayed mute on the subject, but in an interview this week, the media mogul Barry Diller called the proposal a sham.
Under the deal, it appears that Verizon and AT&T could charge content companies or block certain services from reaching customers.
But decisions about net neutrality will rest with the Federal Communications Commission and legislators, notes the NY Times. Lobbying campaigns are already under way on all sides.
More on the debate can be found at BlogRunner: Net Neutrality, Google News: Net Neutrality, Yahoo News: Net Neutrality, and News Hour.
