PUBLIC WANTS GOVT. TO ENSURE NET NEUTRALITY,CONSUMER GROUPS SAY

摘要

Congress and the FCC will “face the wrath of America’s consumers” unless network neutrality is ensured by new laws and rules, FCC Comr. Michael Copps said Wed. Speaking beside representatives of the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), Consumers Union and Free Press, Copps warned of “a future where new broadband toll bridges may actually restrict” VoIP, streaming video and other applications from disfavored firms without govt. intervention. The groups touted survey data on U.S. attitudes that found 54% of Internet users want Congress to bar incumbents from blocking or slowing service and content from competitors, and 55% want a generic “national policy” to that effect. One in 5 opposes both congressional action and national policy; 46% favor both. Nearly 90% worried of being required to pay for an incumbent’s Internet service to access the ISP they want, or “double-dipping,” and 80% were concerned they could be blocked from alternative ISPs. Proposals on the Hill and at the FCC on net neutrality “fall far short of what is needed,” said Consumers Union Senior Policy Analyst Jeannine Kenney. A draft broadband bill at the House Commerce Committee would allow some network bias, and the FCC “went out of its way” to stress that its Aug. policy statement on net neutrality wasn’t “enforceable,” she said.