Google/Verizon: Will a parallel non-Internet help?

16.08.2010
In spite of the fact that the that Google and Verizon published on Aug. 9 was not much like what the rumor mill predicted as late as the day before, the proposal sure has kicked off a lot of .

As normal, a lot of what the bloggers have been saying is way off the mark, but there are plenty of real reasons to discuss the proposal.

The start of the proposal reads just like many a pro net neutrality screed. It basically supports the FCC's 2005 net neutrality In fact, most of the proposal can be seen as quite pro net neutrality, at least within specific environments.

 

There are few litigation-attracting wording suggestions in the proposal. For example, one would block discrimination only if it "causes meaningful harm to competition or to users." Clearly the view of what would constitute "meaningful harm" would not be consistent across all viewers of a situation.

The three biggest areas of controversy are the proposals to exempt "wireless broadband" and "additional online services" from the net neutrality regulations and the limits on the FCC's rulemaking authority.