It’s baaaack. The debate over net neutrality has been reignited with the joint proposal by Google and Verizon that’s designed to lock in some aspects of net neutrality, but also give mobile and cable providers more leeway in terms of charging for priority access to certain types of websites.
As Enterprise Networking Planet reports, the Google-Verizon plan was quickly denounced by net neutrality advocacy groups who worry the proposal could lead to a kind of two-tiered Internet that favors those with the resources to pay for premium access.
For years, Google has served as the most visible corporate champion of net neutrality, the principle that all packets should be given equal treatment on the Internet.
But with Monday’s release of a compromise policy framework for legislating the issue with Verizon (NYSE: VZ), a long-time opponent of net neutrality rules, Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) now finds itself cast as a villain by the same groups it has fought alongside in opposition to the cable and telecom lobbies.