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Verizon High-Speed Services Deregulated ~ Net Neutrality Imperiled

Arshad Mohammed | Washington, DC | March 22

WaPo - The Federal Communications Commission yesterday deregulated a host of high-speed data services that Verizon Communications Inc. offers to business customers, a move critics said could sweep away decades of rules governing the company's pricing and practices.

The agency exempted Verizon from having to file proposed prices with the government and lifted the requirement that it provide competitors access to its high-speed business lines. FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin said freeing Verizon of many "common carrier" obligations on those lines will give the company "the flexibility to further deploy its broadband services and fiber facilities without overly burdensome regulations."

There isn't anything holding Verizon back at this point form crating a two lane internet. One which the big guy can afford and the little guy like a blogger cannot.


Sean Paul Kelley March 22, 2006 - 1:35am
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( categories: AgonistWire | Net Neutrality )

Ah crap! Leave it to the

Ah crap! Leave it to the Bush administration to bypass the legislature. Well, so much for my optimism.

If I had wanted cream and sugar why order the coffee?

Rook March 22, 2006 - 10:58am
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The people who have the most to loose

The people who have the most to loose from the internet technology revolution are in charge of the internet! Think about analog wireline phones. This technology was invented in the late 19th century. Bell's patent was in 1875. The switch technology patented in 1891 was still used in many US locations in 1991. One hundred years of the same mechanical switching! Innovation? The folks responsible for a total lack of innovation are now given control over the Internet? What a great move!

The telecoms are understandably afraid of Voice over the Internet, VOIP. It could potentially replace wireline and even cell phone networks. So now they are in charge. Asia and Latin America are going leave us in the dust.

We shall not try to make these people or any of their children into philosophers or men of learning or men of science. - General Education Board Letter #1, 1906, Rockefeller Foundation.

Joaquin March 22, 2006 - 12:30pm
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The telecoms are

The telecoms are understandably afraid of Voice over the Internet, VOIP. It could potentially replace wireline and even cell phone networks. So now they are in charge. Asia and Latin America are going leave us in the dust.

yikes, I never even thought of this...

babeltek March 22, 2006 - 4:59pm
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Free Calls

The way things are right now, if you are geeky enough, you can setup your own VOIP switch, "SIP Proxy", and literally go into business. There are other switches out there that you can connect to thus bypassing telephone networks. If you have a wireless device that can connect through SIP then you can walk around with a phone. You get the picture. VOIP will eat them alive. By controlling bandwidth they might be able to keep VOIP under control or at least keep large competitors from emerging and stem the flow of businesses abandoning traditional telephony networks for long distance services. As other digital media merge with VOIP the bandwidth requirements will become greater.

We shall not try to make these people or any of their children into philosophers or men of learning or men of science. - General Education Board Letter #1, 1906, Rockefeller Foundation.

Joaquin March 22, 2006 - 6:35pm
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One other thing

I don't know very much about how exactly this deregulation works but the telecoms might be able to provide VOIP services at lower cost than third parties because they can allocate themselves bandwidth and charge less for VOIP than those paying for the special bandwidth with a good margin.

We shall not try to make these people or any of their children into philosophers or men of learning or men of science. - General Education Board Letter #1, 1906, Rockefeller Foundation.

Joaquin March 22, 2006 - 6:41pm
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There are cities

that are or have planned free WIFI for the residents. The telephone companies would get absolutely nothing for citizens that connect by WIFI to the Internet.

Google Wifi Plans

Free connections via WIFI and Google. No one would pay anything.

more Google and WIFI technology Google would become ISP without using telephone lines or broadband cable.

I do currently receive television channels through my ISP high speed cable box. One day I won't have to pay the TV companies a dime if it's possible to bring the channels in using WIFI or a similar connection to my computer's graphical TV enabled card on my computer.

The world is changing rapidly--cable and telephone lines may be left in the dust if the signals can be received by WIFI or the new, stronger WIFI (I forget what it's called, but it's longer range).

canuck March 22, 2006 - 8:07pm
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Sadly

Sadly, the prospects of this happening in the states are growing dim. Why would Verizon or the others shoot themselves in the profit margins? They will not allow this here.

We shall not try to make these people or any of their children into philosophers or men of learning or men of science. - General Education Board Letter #1, 1906, Rockefeller Foundation.

Joaquin March 22, 2006 - 9:20pm
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Joaquin

Just read this:

"Some states have rules saying what cities can and cannot do in terms of "competing with private enterprise."

Although not tested with respect to Wi-Fi, telcos could use those laws to threaten to tie cities up in court. The mere threat of multi-year litigation may be enough to discourage cities from starting such projects, particularly if the city views it as a "nice to have" thing but not worth spending lots of money on lawyer over.

Smaller towns or those with budget problems may have no choice but to withdraw their plans in the face of a court fight."

-----

It does sound like the big corporations will have their way one way or another. What a shame when small towns and cities can't bring in a service for the people who live there.

canuck March 23, 2006 - 1:05am
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Its not just the cities here

I think the telcos are most afraid of some little guy setting up a wireless network and providing cheap long distance phone service. All that copper will be hanging from telephone poles for noth'n. This is happening here in my state: rural wireless 900 MHz networks. These folks will now have to stay small. It will be harder for them to provide phone services while the Telcos are free to set up WiFi with relatively cheaper phone service.

We shall not try to make these people or any of their children into philosophers or men of learning or men of science. - General Education Board Letter #1, 1906, Rockefeller Foundation.

Joaquin March 23, 2006 - 2:38am
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