Verizon Opposes Net Neutrality Legislation

I found this article from the Associated Press through the Oregonian website. It talks about Verizon Communications’ response to the recent regulations the Federal Communications Commission adopted last month. The new legislation prohibits phone and cable companies from interfering with internet content, including competing services like Netflix or Skype. The rules do not prevent internet service providers from charging more for faster access, but is a major stepping stone for net neutrality. A major goal of the FCC is to extend the rules to internet service providers, and prevent ISPs from striking deals with companies like Google or Facebook. They would provide faster access to the websites of companies that pay their fees, while at the same time slowing down access to everything else, including private websites, smaller companies that can’t afford to pay, and non-profit organizations.

I am personally in favor of net neutrality, which would prevent major ISPs from using the above methods to make more money. Although such rules weren’t needed in the past, the internet has been growing at an exponential rate, and exploiting it is becoming more and more profitable. The new rules don’t currently affect ISPs much, but the FCC is also pushing a bill for extensive regulations on service providers. There is currently a lot of debate about if the FCC has the authority to pass this legislation, and a loss in court on this issue would be a major setback to their overall plans. The FCC should have the authority, as this is exactly the kind of issue they were created to deal with. However, there is a lot of pushback from phone, cable, and internet companies, who stand to make a lot of money through traffic prioritization.

My biggest question is, of course, how Verizon’s lawsuit will turn out. This is a major suit by Verizon, one of the largest ISPs, against the FCC as a whole. If the courts rule in Verizon’s favor, the FCC will suffer a major setback to their plans for net neutrality regulation. To further complicate things, there are several congressmen who are strongly against the FCC and their new regulations, who would support Verizon in the court case, and could tip the balance against the FCC for any new legislation. A decision for the FCC, however, will be a major stepping stone for them, and they are currently our best hope for net neutrality. Whatever the decision, I’m sure there will be a lot of news about it in the coming months, and hope it turns out to be good news.