The net neutrality debate is heating up. EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet has the story on why the various interested parties are ratcheting up their lobbying efforts in Washington.
Comments came pouring in to the Federal Communications Commission fast and furious this week, as Internet companies, telecom providers and a parade of advocacy groups, industry associations and other interested parties offered their free advice as the commission mulls a landmark move to regulate ISPs.
The issue at hand is a notice of proposed rulemaking that seeks to clarify the FCC’s authority over the way ISPs manage traffic on their networks, setting binding rules against blocking or discriminating against content on the Web.
Many of the nearly 22,000 comments, filed to meet the Thursday deadline, reiterated the same arguments that have carved out the borders in the long-simmering network neutrality debate.
Supporters warn that ISPs, if left unchecked, will seek to impose a toll system on their networks, striking side deals with content and application providers to provide swift transmission of their traffic in exchange for a fee. Opponents, meanwhile, argue that the Internet has thrived under a deregulated model, and efforts to preserve that openness are best served by maintaining the current framework rather than imposing new regulations that could undermine the incentives for providers to invest in their networks.