Verizon Fights FCC for Editorial Control of Internet

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| Peter Radizeski of RAD-INFO, Inc. talking telecom, Cloud, VoIP, CLEC, and The Channel.

Verizon Fights FCC for Editorial Control of Internet

Thanks to recent revelations, we know that Verizon, AT&T and others are feeding the NSA with all our emails, call records, Internet search history, etc. In the wake of this privacy nightmare, Verizon is in court fighting the FCC over more than just Net Neutrality.

Does the FCC have authority to enforce Net Neutrality rules? A court already ruled yes. VZ's appeal is today.. "The FCC's 2011 open Internet rules require Internet providers to treat all Web traffic equally and give consumers equal access to all lawful content....Verizon has argued the rules are an excessive, "arbitrary and capricious" intrusion which violates the company's right to free speech, stripping it of control over what its networks transmit and how."

My bet is the public loses - and the Appellate judges hand it over to VZ.

Four more points:

One: VZW's 700 MHz spectrum was auctioned off with Open Internet rules. Who will police that?

Two: the Internet is the last frontier of Innovation. It is the Engine of the New Economy. Mess with that at our own peril.

"Few people would dispute that one of the biggest contributors to the extraordinary success of the Internet has been the ability of just about anyone to use it to offer any product, service or type of information they want." [NYT] That success is in the hands of three federal judges.

We have already seen where the privacy invasion by the NSA will likely cost US cloud firms tens of billions in revenue, which means less jobs and less tax income for the US.

In the global job market, we need fast, cheap Internet access with fast, cheap devices - unencumbered. How does the US compete globally when they are handcuffed by the secret interests of both the government and Big Business? Every American is competing against an eighteen year old in other nations with broadband and desire.

SOPA - Stop Online Privacy Act - was defeated in 2012, but is being revived. We do not need Internet cops. We do not need the ISPs to have Editorial control over our content.

Most things are not what they seem at the surface. Syria isn't really about chemical weapons. It is about chess at a global level. It is about power, influence, money and energy. It is about positioning for the next ten years.

There is a lot going on right now. Much of it will have long ranging effects.

Gary Kim writes that Net Neutrality will stifle innovation.



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