Intellectual Property Law

FCC Open Hearing: Net Neutrality

By Wendy Seltzer

The FCC is in Cambridge today, for a Berkman-hosted open meeting (PDF) on Network Neutrality.

Congressman Ed Markey introduces the panel with recollections of his fight against mandated access charges for dial-up connections. Flat rate connections, initially allowed Internet to flourish, as Internet users built out a Net freed from the shackles of long-distance timers.

Markey clearly gets the ‘Net: “The Internet is as much mine and yours as it is AT&T’s, Verizon’s, and Comcast’s…. The nature of the ‘Net is not about the carriers and the services they provide… they provide access, not service. … This is ‘No Country for Old Bandwidth.’”

Markey understands that the value of the Internet’s potential, is greater than even the best current application: “The beauty of the internet is its wonderfully chaotic, ever-evolving nature… its ability to reinvent itself every single year.” Let’s hope the rest of the hearing strengthens that vision.

Join in: Join the Berkman IRC channel or post questions.

Full post as published by Legal Tags on February 25, 2008 (boomark / email).