Obama Pushes FCC to Treat Internet as Public Utility

President Obama put the full weight of his administration behind an open and free Internet, calling for a strict policy of so-called net neutrality and formally opposing deals in which content providers like Netflix would pay huge sums to broadband companies for faster access to their customers. In a statement, and a video on the White House website, Mr. Obama urged the Federal Communications Commission to adopt the strictest set of neutrality rules possible and to treat consumer broadband service as a public utility, similar to telephone or power companies.

·         Read the article: The New York Times

U.S., Europeans Shut 400 Sites for Illegal Sales

U.S. and European law enforcement agencies announced the largest strike ever against the Internet’s thriving black markets, shutting down more than 400 sites and arresting 17 people for allegedly selling drugs, weapons and illegal services to anonymous buyers worldwide. The sweep of the crackdown marked a new level of aggressiveness and coordination by Western governments determined to police shadowy corners of the Internet.

·         Read the article: The Washington Post

Suit Says LinkedIn Service Violates Fair Credit Act

Four people are suing LinkedIn, contending that one of the site’s networking features cost them job opportunities. In Sweet v. LinkedIn, a class-action suit filed last month in Northern California, the plaintiffs contended that LinkedIn, in providing the job reference material, enabled potential employers to “anonymously dig into the employment history of any LinkedIn member, and make hiring and firing decisions based upon the information they gather,” without ensuring that the information was accurate. This, they said, is a violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

·         Read the article: The New York Times

Wireless Networks Getting the Net Neutrality Call?

September 16, 2014 1:13 PM EDT    | 0 Comments

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Pedro Salaverria

An open Internet is one thing, but what about open smartphone networks?According to Dawn Chmielewski and Amy Schatz of Re/Code, the Federal Communications Commission is considering whether wireless broadband providers should be subject to the FCC’s rules for earthbound ISPs.

“To say the wireless industry is less than welcoming of the idea of having those rules apply to their networks would be an understatement,” say Chmielewski and Schatz. The carriers argue the rules wouldn’t allow them to manage networks—if too many people are watching videos on Netflix apps, nearby customers may not be able to quickly check Facebook or make a call, explain the autho

Read more: http://www.corpcounsel.com/id=1202670210710/Wireless-Networks-Getting-the-Net-Neutrality-Call#ixzz3DbG9fGpK

May 15th: Fight to Save the Internet

The drumbeat for real Net Neutrality is getting louder and louder.

 

On May 15th we’re bringing the noise straight to the FCC’s doorstep.

 

Hundreds of thousands of activists are coming out against the FCC's plan to kill the open Internet. Will you join them?

 

In the D.C. area? Click here to learn more about the Rally to Save the Internet.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/may-15th-day-save-internet

Net neutrality rules spark furor

Mike Snider, and Roger Yu, USATODAY7:08 a.m. EDT April 25, 2014

(Photo: Susan Walsh, AP)

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A battle has erupted over the Federal Communications Commission chairman's new proposal for net neutrality rules that would allow content providers to pay for Internet express lanes.

In the first formal step toward reinstating net neutrality, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler presented a draft of the revised rules to his fellow commissioners Thursday. The rules would prevent Internet service providers from blocking or discriminating against lawful content.

But the proposal allows fast lanes to consumers' homes, the so-called "last mile," that content providers such as Netflix can purchase as long as the same opportunities are available to others on "commercially reasonable" terms. The new rules give the FCC the authority to review such arrangements to ensure that they don't harm consumers and competition.

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FCC to Release Draft Net Neutrality Rules in May  

April 23, 2014, 10:14 AM PDTFederal regulators are expected to release draft net neutrality rules in mid-May as part of an ongoing effort to craft rules for Internet traffic that might actually hold up in court.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said Wednesday that the agency would consider draft “Open Internet,” or net neutrality, rules at an agency meeting May 15. As we reported in February, Wheeler will propose basically the same rules that the agency had tried before, but justify them under a different part of the law.

Consumer groups have complained about that plan because they’re worried that Wheeler’s rules may not hold up in court either. A federal appeals court rejected two previous versions of net neutrality rules after finding fault in the FCC’s legal reasoning. During the latest smackdown, however, the court suggested that the FCC had some authority to impose net neutrality rules under a section of the law that gives the agency the ability to regulate the deployment of broadband lines.

http://recode.net/2014/04/23/fcc-to-release-draft-net-neutrality-rules-in-may/

Net Neutrality Debate: Cold War of Reality vs. Illusion

Dr. Hossein EslambolchiInfluencer

I was intrigued by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings’ recent blog advocating the U.S. needs a strict form of Net Neutrality. Mr. Hastings definition of Net Neutrality is that bits should be treated roughly equally, with no tolls for certain kinds of content or for traffic that moves more in one direction than another. I wonder what Mr. Hastings’ reaction would be if the FCC mandated the pricing model and equality among all content creators, i.e., Netflix pays the creator (studio) the same amount for every movie regardless of the content value or the number of users viewing it?

It’s time to say it clearly: the simple idea of strict network neutrality needs to be set aside and we need a full dialogue on the right commercial frameworks for the future of better communications worldwide.

This simple concept worked for the basic Internet, as it emerged from the U.S. government and academia. In today's vast, global and commercial Internet, it is a concept that creates asymmetries in financial risks, burdens and rewards. (Actually, those asymmetries were always there, but at a modest scale. Today, they constitute large-scale distortions in the business of networks, and skew great wealth and great risk.)

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140325232909-5213223-net-neutrality-debate-cold-war-of-reality-vs-illusion?trk=eml-ced-b-art-M-0&midToken=AQEkpn2_Qn2lSA&ut=2FS1qUOdJa-S81