net neutrality

I really enjoyed Bob Bocher's presentation last week on the topic of net neutrality. I especially appreciated how Mr. Bocher discussed the topic in the context of the history of telecommunications and the Internet. His explanation helped me to better understand the distinction between telecommunication and information services, as well as the "common carrier" issue.

Even though Mr. Bocher brought up some disturbing facts regarding the future of net neutrality issues, it appears there is also some good news on the horizon for proponents of internet freedom. Apparently Comcast and BitTorrent have reached a deal. Now both companies will take steps to improve software and increase transferability when it comes to peer-to-peer file sharing. This is good news for me because I am guilty of downloading bit torrent files from time to time, and I have read things on-line that have led me to believe my own ISP may be interfering in peer-sharing transfers. However, as Marvin Ammori, general counsel of Free Press said in the above-linked Wired.com article,

"This agreement does nothing to protect the many other peer-to-peer companies from blocking, nor does it protect future innovative applications and services. Finally, it does nothing to prevent other phone and cable companies from blocking. Innovators should not have to negotiate side deals with phone and cable companies to operate without discrimination. The Internet has always been a level playing field, and we need to keep it that way."

In other net neutrality news, I read in this Information Week article that Rep. John Conyers introduced the Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act this week in Congress which attempts to promote competition among internet carriers. Interestingly, the bill approaches this issue of net neutrality from an anti-trust (anti-monopoly) angle rather than the common carrier rule that once protected dial-up connections.