DAILY BEAST:
1. So what exactly is net neutrality?
Net neutrality is the idea that internet providers like Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, etc., should not be able to play favorites with the variety of content going through their networks. For instance, preventing Comcast from favoring streaming capabilities for NBC, which it owns, over CBS, Fox, and ABC. Supporters see it as a way of keeping a vital technology open so that innovative entrepreneurs aren’t killed by those who “own” the internet. Opponents and providers see it as an unnecessary regulation that hurts potential revenue streams.
2. What was ‘Verizon v. FCC’ all about?
In 2010, a federal court ruled in favor of Comcast that the FCC did not have authority to regulate the provider’s interference with peer-to-peer networks. As a result, the FCC laid out its 2010 Open Internet Order, which is what today’s ruling in Verizon v. FCC was regarding. The Open Internet Order essentially laid out (PDF) three requirements. First: fixed providers could not block legal content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices, while mobile providers could not block legal websites or competitive voice and video services. Second: the fixed broadband providers could not discriminate against legal traffic. And finally: all providers must disclose information regarding their practices and performance.
The FCC viewed this as essential because the “majority of Americans [have] only two wireline broadband choices (many have only one), [and] market discipline alone could not guarantee continued openness.” The even more controversial part was whether the FCC has enforcement authority (which it argued it does based on a 2012 ruling, Cellco Partnership v. FCC)… (more)
