FCC Chair Julius Genachowski, offered a sneak preview of their upcoming Net Neutrality Order on December 1.
The rules will bar “unreasonable discrimination” on wired networks, but wireless operators get a free pass, as long as they tell everybody what they’re doing and don’t throw a total block in front of traffic, notes Ars Technica.
That’s not enough for Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, who told the Practicing Law Institute’s annual telecommunications summit that she “still has many questions” about the proposal, particularly whether it adequately covers wireless broadband.
“While I recognize that there are distinctions between wired and wireless networks, I think it is essential that our wireless networks—those of the present and future—grow in an open way just as our wired ones have,” she said.
“We should ensure that, while there are two kinds of networks, we don’t cause the development of two kinds of Internet worlds,” Clyburn warned. “Aside from technical differences, the basic user experience should be the same.”
CTIA signaled that it may sue the commission if it tries to add any more of the regulations beyond transparency and no-blocking, which they reluctantly agreed to as part of the compromise order.
Senator Maria Cantwell and Rep. Jay Inslee, both Washington state Democrats, also wrote FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski Friday to urge him to take strong network neutrality action.
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps has indicated he would like to see the rules applied to both. He and the other commissioners are currently working on edits and input on a draft order, which is scheduled to get a Dec. 21 vote.
