Fairpoint Pledges To Violate Net Neutrality

wytcld writes "Fairpoint Communications, which has taken over Verizon's landline business in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, has announced that on February 6, 'AOL, Yahoo! and MSN subscribers will continue to have access to content but will no longer be able to access their e-mail through the third-party Web site. Instead, Yahoo! and other third-party e-mail will be accessed directly at the MyFairPoint.net portal.' Since Verizon spun off its lines to Fairpoint in a maneuver that got debt off of Verizon's balance sheets by saddling Fairpoint with it, there was concern by the public service boards of the three states about how Fairpoint would deal with that debt. Fairpoint's profit plan: force all Webmail users through Fairpoint's portal, by blocking all direct access to Webmail portals other than its own. Will Fairpoint's own search engine portal be next? What can stop them?"

Comments

what can stop them

[portscan]

watching their customers dropping like flies...

Re:No it doesn't.

[techno-vampire]

Yes, I did RTFA, but unlike you, I did so with an open mind. Before the part you quote, it says, " Web-based e-mail users can continue to access their e-mail at the Verizon Web site until Feb. 6." In that context, it looks to me as though the Verizon webmail page is the "third party Web site" referred to. I'll grant that it's not written as clearly as it should be, but it does make more sense than the interpretation in the summary. Cutting off access to other provider's webmail site while allowing unhindered access to all of their other content just doesn't make sense. Telling new customers that if they want their third-party email on their homepage they need to use yours instead of their other providers does. My guess is that when the dust clears this will turn out to be Yet Another Slashdot Tempest In A Teapot.

Re:No it doesn't.

[Unoriginal Nick]

Read the paragraph before it. The "third party Web site" is referring to the Verizon web site, not Yahoo, MSN, etc. This is a non-story.

Re:I present

[nacturation]

I don't see the problem with what Fairpoint is doing. They have every right to filter all communications through their portal if they so wish. I think Fairpoint's upstream providers should do the same so that we'll see this soon:

A spokesperson from Level 3 Communications had the following to say, "We wholeheartedly endorse Fairpoint's limitations they are imposing on their Internet users by requiring them to access common webmail sites through the MyFairPoint.net portal." The spokesperson continued, "Following their example, we are pleased to announce that access to the MyFairPoint.net portal will only be allowed through the MyLevel3.net portal and are working with Fairpoint's other upstream providers to implement similar restrictions."