FCC Finalizes US Net Neutrality Rules

milbournosphere writes "The FCC has finalized its proposed rules regarding net neutrality. The rules go into effect on 20 November, nearly a year after they passed in a 3-2 vote. The FCC's statement (PDF) summarizes the rules thus: 'First, transparency: fixed and mobile broadband providers must disclose the network management practices, performance characteristics, and commercial terms of their broadband services. Second, no blocking: fixed broadband providers may not block lawful content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices; mobile broadband providers may not block lawful websites, or block applications that compete with their voice or video telephony services. Third, no unreasonable discrimination: fixed broadband providers may not unreasonably discriminate in transmitting lawful network traffic.' It should be noted that some of the language is a little ambiguous; who is to decide what constitutes 'unreasonable discrimination?'"

Comments

Re:Judges, that's who!

[bonch]

I'm more worried about "lawful" in there. If that's found to be "an application or webpage that is guaranteed to have no illegal content" or something similar, then we might end up with torrent and freenet blockers anyway.

Well, net neutrality supporters want the government regulating everything, including the private networks of private companies that you as a customer merely pay for access to, so the inevitable result is going to be abuses like restricting torrent traffic to prevent "economic terrorism."

Nobody has yet to offer a single valid justification for so-called "net neutrality" legislation. Internet access is a technological convenience, a service sold by private companies, not some right guaranteed constitutional protection. Sysadmins should be able to regulate their network traffic however they want.