Adelstein, Copps Call for 5th Net Neutrality Principle on Bias
FCC Comrs. Adelstein and Copps urged expansion of the FCC’s 4 net neutrality principles to include one barring bias in the carriage or treatment of Internet traffic. Speaking to the Minority Media & Telecom Council (MMTC) conference Tues. indirectly they indicated the 5th principle has been discussed in the FCC’s consideration of the Adelphia merger.
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The net neutrality principles, which debuted last summer, were among conditions set by the FCC in approving the SBC-AT&T and Verizon-MCI mergers. They address various factors, such as consumers’ right to use any applications and access any content, but don’t include the proposed bar on discriminatory handling of traffic that has emerged as a key part of the net neutrality debate.
“As one who pushed very hard for last summer’s… Internet principles, I believe it is time to go beyond that and commit the industries and the FCC to a specific principle of enforceable non-discrimination, one that allows for reasonable network management but makes it clear that the promise of the Internet is not going to be shackled in its adolescence,” Copps said. Adelstein told conferees he “continues to urge the Commission to add a principle of non- discrimination… to the quartet of national principles.”
Copps said minority entrepreneurs like those in the crowd should care about net neutrality because the Internet is “an especially potent business force for minority groups and niche communities.” But minorities should “be very cautious of government regulation akin to net neutrality,” warned NCTA Senior Vp Dan Brenner. Speaking on a panel, Brenner said he doesn’t think net neutrality is “the right road to develop diversity on the Internet.”
Broadband access “has added another layer to the digital divide,” Copps said. Census data show about half as many minorities have broadband at home as non-minorities. Boosting concern is an ITU ranking released last week showing the U.S. slipping from 16th to 21st in digital penetration worldwide. “If we want to continue to lay claim to the United States as the land of opportunity, we'd better find a way to make the U.S. the land of digital opportunity,” Copps said. The FCC could jump-start the process by “producing data and analysis that really take the measure of the challenges we face, that ask the hard questions… not those silly Sec. 706 reports we've put out in the past.”