Net Neutrality in the House
April 12 2011
By Paula Bernier

Sometimes it seems as if the industry is crying out for regulators to set positions and policies that create more certainty over how things are handled, but when the FCC and other government bodies finally get around to making such moves, there's just a lot more crying.

Such is the case with net neutrality. To be fair, this has been a very controversial topic from the get-go. Perhaps that's why we never seem to get very far with it.

In any case, as you know, the FCC in late December enacted rules around net neutrality, which aim to retain the openness of the Internet. They aim to do that by requiring transparency, or setting the requirement that broadband operators much disclose publicly accurate information regarding the network management practices, performance, and commercial terms of its broadband Internet access services sufficient for consumers to make informed choices regarding use of such services. The rules also ban broadband operators from blocking or unreasonable discrimination of lawful websites and applications, and related traffic.

Then Verizon in mid January challenged the FCC's net neutrality ruling by filing an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

However, the court recently dismissed both Verizon and MetroPCS challenges to the FCC's net neutrality rules. The dismissal was based on a technicality – the fact that the net neutrality order had yet to be published in the Federal Register.

Now, the U.S. Congress has gotten involved in the net neutrality battle. The U.S. House of Representatives has successfully pushed through a vote to reject the net neutrality rules. Those supporting this effort continue to argue that the FCC (which, by the way, took a big hit in the Comcast case last year) lacks the authority to set such rules.

But while the Senate is expected to take up net neutrality legislation of its own, reports indicate President Obama already is prepared to veto proposed legislation of this effect. And that will leave us all just about where we started, with little clarity on net neutrality and more time and money spent arguing over it.

Comments: To comment on this blog or on other issues related to the broadband stimulus or The National Broadband Plan, email Paula Bernier at paulabernier@mac.com.

• A state or political division thereof
• Indian Tribe or Native Hawaiian Organization
• NonProfit
• Any other entity, including a Broadband Service or Infrastructure Provider, whose participation is found by NTIA to be in the "public interest"

• Support Letter

• The two agencies have until Sept. 30, 2010 to "disperse" the funds
• Funded projects have 2 years to complete
• FCC required to develop the "comprehensive national broadband plan to provide universal coverage and encourage people to use the network"

• FCC National Broadband Plan
• NTIA
• RUS
• ADTRAN Buy American Policy Position Statement
• FCC Report on a Rural Broadband Strategy
• NTIA BTOP Public Comments web page

Please send any comments or questions to:
Comments@adtran.com

or

Request a meeting with our Broadband Stimulus team via:
BroadbandStimulusMeetingRequest
@adtran.com