FCC: Net Neutrality Supersedes Any Existing Arrangement

According to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, any FCC policy on net neutrality that emerges will supersede any pre-existing arrangements by companies, alluding to a speculated pact between Verizon Wireless and Google. According to Genachowski, “Any outcome, any deal that doesn’t preserve the freedom and openness of the Internet for consumers and entrepreneurs will be unacceptable.”

Though Genachowski had addressed the fundamental of net neutrality as a win for the consumer, the FCC Chairman did not go into details if the FCC policy would include wireless or if such policy would only govern the Internet on PC and landlines.

In terms of Google and Verizon Wireless, it has been rumored that the two had reached an agreement where net neutrality would be preserved on landline use but that Google ceded control to Verizon over wireless so that the carrier can charge more for certain types of content, throttle down bandwidth for certain apps and services, or even block or restrict some apps and services from its network.

According to Electronista, Verizon Wireless had prepared an official statement addressing a New York Times claim that the carrier was charging more for certain content as incorrect and that the NYT “fundamentally misunderstands our purpose.” The carrier insists that it wasn’t making a business deal with Google and that it wanted an open, responsible Internet. However, Verizon did not address accusations that it was pressuring Google to drop its case with the FCC asking for wireless net neutrality.

Hubert Nguyen
Categories: Computers