[LINK] What 'Net Neutrality' comes down to

[Roger Clarke]

[Catching up with old news, but it hasn't been mentioned here]

The US extreme-right-wing 'business must be allowed to cheat' lobby 
succeeded in watering down the FCC's attempt at 'net neutrality', and 
the very soft principles may be watered down further by the courts.

FCC's own summary of what they declared on 23 Sep 2011 wef 20 Nov 2011 is:

1.  Transparency: fixed and mobile broadband providers must disclose 
the network management practices, performance characteristics, and 
commercial terms of their broadband services

[Fairness?  Don't be silly!  That would be interventionist.]

2.  No Blocking: fixed broadband providers may not block lawful 
content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices; mobile 
broadband providers may not block lawful websites, or block 
applications that compete with their voice or video telephony services

3.  No Unreasonable Discrimination: fixed broadband providers may not 
unreasonably discriminate in transmitting lawful network traffic


Final 'open Internet' rules (44pp. of PDF) at:
http://www.gpo.gov:80/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-23/pdf/2011-24259.pdf


Caustic articles at:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/09/us-net-neutrality-rules-finalized-in-effect-november-20.ars
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/09/from-vampires-to-communism-net-neutrality-an-internet-iron-curtain.ars


Wikipedia contributors have struggled manfully (personfully?) with 
the topic:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/
			            
Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University