Business lobbies slam net neutrality

BUSINESS GROUPS have challenged the proposal by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to set 'net neutrality' regulations.

Leaders of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the US Chamber of Commerce gathered at a press conference yesterday to whinge about the impending horrors of Internet regulation.

The business groups wanted to hear from FCC chairman Julius Genachowski about how proposed net neutrality regulation won't choke off innovation. Their concern is that they are uncertain about what net neutrality regulations will bring. The TIA and NAM also argued that it could also impede the roll out of broadband in rural areas, a seemingly not so veiled threat to stall and obstruct that unless they get their way and are able to block or subvert net neutrality through lobbying.

The comments were made because Genachowski had solicited feedback from organisations last week. He asked for feedback from businesses on how net neutrality should be applied to mobile broadband services.

Businesses automatically assume that any regulation will impose restrictions and they think restrictions of any kind can only mean one thing - less profit for corporations.

The FCC is also being lobbied by ISPs and telecoms that want to hold the reins on how they manage their circuits, fibre-optic links and mobile wireless airwaves. Equally, the ISPs are under pressure from big media conglomerates that are desperately trying to protect their content from filesharing and simultaneously licking their chops at the prospect of putting tollbooths on the Internet.

We reported last week that both AT&T and Google are pulling the FCC into a struggle over net neutrality. µ