Justice Department Nixes Net Neutrality

Government Says ISPs Should Be Allowed To Charge A Fee For Priority Web Traffic

(AP)  The Justice Department on Thursday said Internet service providers should be allowed to charge a fee for priority Web traffic.

The agency told the Federal Communications Commission, which is reviewing high-speed Internet practices, that it is opposed to "Net neutrality," the principle that all Internet sites should be equally accessible to any Web user.

Several phone and cable companies, such as AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp., have previously said they want the option to charge some users more money for loading certain content or Web sites faster than others.

The Justice Department said imposing a Net neutrality regulation could hamper development of the Internet and prevent service providers from upgrading or expanding their networks. It could also shift the "entire burden of implementing costly network expansions and improvements onto consumers," the agency said in its filing.

Such a result could diminish or delay network expansion and improvement, it added.

The agency said providing different levels of service is common, efficient and could satisfy consumers. As an example, it cited that the U.S. Postal Service charges customers different guarantees and speeds for package delivery, ranging from bulk mail to overnight delivery.

"Whether or not the same type of differentiated products and services will develop on the Internet should be determined by market forces, not regulatory intervention," the agency said in its filing.

The agency's stance comes more than two months after Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras cautioned policy makers to enact Net neutrality regulation.

Such a regulation could prevent rather than promote Internet investment and innovation and have "significant negative effects for the economy and consumers," the Justice Department said in the filing.

Supporters of Internet regulation have said that phone and cable companies could discriminate against certain Web site and services. However, the agency said it will continue to monitor and enforce any anticompetitive conduct to ensure a competitive broadband marketplace.

[kclaf]

Anything for corporate america is the banner for this administration. So, what''s new with this type of information?

[bearster22]

Reply to bthrasher102:

BThrasher, net neutrality is not about creating one level of service for customers; the idea is that without regulation to protect net neutrality, broadband providers will charge an extra fee (on top of any connectivity charges) to website owners.

I''m not surprised that you''re confused, though: the way the Justice department makes the analogy between these levels of service and the USPS is not only confusing but intellectually dishonest.

[bearster22]

Reply to bthrasher102:

BThrasher, net neutrality is not about creating one level of service for customers; the idea is that without regulation to protect net neutrality, broadband providers will charge an extra fee (on top of any connectivity charges) to website owners.

I''m not surprised that you''re confused, though: the way the Justice department makes the analogy between these levels of service and the USPS is not only confusing but intellectually dishonest.

[bearster22]

Reply to bthrasher102:

BThrasher, net neutrality is not about creating one level of service for customers; the idea is that without regulation to protect net neutrality, broadband providers will charge an extra fee (on top of any connectivity charges) to website owners.

I''m not surprised that you''re confused, though: the way the Justice department makes the analogy between these levels of service and the USPS is not only confusing but intellectually dishonest.

[my2centss]

I guess its the only way to stop competition from Google. If you cannot beat them fairly, pay the politicians to put regulations on them till they can no longer compete.

[michellem99-2009]

DIAL UP IS SLOW.
BROADBAND IS FASTER.
MOST BUSINESSES ARE ON A NETWORK AND THAT CAN BE DIAL UP AS MOST ARE.
THE MORE COMPUTERS ON A NETWORK THE SLOWER THEY ARE.

[avvorio]

This late filing is not accidental. Due to makeup and shenanigans I have observed from the FCC commissioners, I bet this is an agreed strategy. They hardly give the public any public comment time on issues but they will let the DOJ file 2 months late on such an important issue. Bet this is about the upcoming elections and access for blogs, etc. Need to write and protest to the FCC and threathen to sue.

[brianbwb-2009]

what is wrong with people these days (especially people in large corporations and the government) do they really think people are stupid and they can just lie to everyone with a straight face and we''''ll believe it???

Posted by ke6960

No, they KNOW they can lie, and that many will believe it, while the majority who don''t can''t do anything about it anyway.

Boycotts anyone?

[gunownerdan]

"Today we need a nation of minute men; citizens who are not only prepared to take up arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as a basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom. The cause of liberty, the cause of American, cannot succeed with any lesser effort."
- President John F. Kennedy, January 29, 1961

[rushlimpdrug]

Great, we''re moving toward a chineeze form of government.
It is time to get the lead out.

take me to your $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

[afmca]

Another Bush gift to big business before he finally leaves office. Just wait until you see the regulations he puts in place over the next year - clean air, clear water, industrial safety, consumer safety; corporate accountability ... all will be regulated out of existence on the premise that good corporations and capitalism will control the market.

[gunownerdan]

Say goodbye to the internet as you know it.
America will be like a communist dictatorship in no time.

[ke6960]

this is one of the stupidest things ive read lately.... first of all as others have said why does the justice department care about corporate/consumer topics in the first place and how do they think that "he Justice Department said imposing a Net neutrality regulation could hamper development of the Internet and prevent service providers from upgrading or expanding their networks." or that "Such a result could diminish or delay network expansion and improvement, it added.

The agency said providing different levels of service is common, efficient and could satisfy consumers"


are they on drugs???

seriously, the only thing i can think to compare it to is the cable companies with there channel lineups and no one thinks thats a good idea.....

what is wrong with people these days (especially people in large corporations and the government) do they really think people are stupid and they can just lie to everyone with a straight face and we''ll believe it???

[drinuk]

They hate this medium, governments all over the world do not want us the ordinary people talking to each other. Hands Off the Internet or you may just pay the price of revolution.

[andor3]

This has nothing to do with Justice and everything to do with corporate lobbying to buy government influence, to increase profits.

I don''t think they are going to get away with this scam; they must be pretty out of touch to even attempt it.

[brianbwb-2009]

Time to boycott ISPs. Pick one, boycott it into the dust, and then move on to the next one, until they understand the will of the consumer.

[jw218389]

Say Goodbye to the last free speech in the World.

FREEDOM IS DEAD - BOTH IN THE REAL WORLD AND THE VIRTUAL WORLD.

We are a bunch of CHUMPS tp let the media take over the internet...

[incog-nito]

Next on the justice department''s agenda: How to charge for the air you breathe.

[p-syrus]

Justice Department Nixes Net Neutrality

Not surprising coming from the Bush Administration. They have exerted every effort to empower corporate rights at the expense of the rights and liberties of private citizens.

There exists a fundamentally false and extremely ugly view current in this modern american culture that ignoring the citizenry is politically safe and that the body politic is best served by promoting the interests of private corporations rather than weighing the conflicting interests of the citizens.

What most "conservatives" fail to grasp is that this argument was well-understood by the founding fathers and they repudiated it as being indicative of a fundamentally sick society in which the rights of individuals could not survive.

[oleander8]

"As an example, it cited that the U.S. Postal Service..."

Not a good choice to hold up as an example.

Government - stay out of Internet business - it''s the only global equalizer left to the people of the world.