 funchordsHelloPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-11
Yarmouth Port, MA
kudos:5
1 edit | HEY FCC! Disclosure is Meaningless without Competition Yeah, I'd like to see Comcast get its mouth washed out with soap for fibbing.
However, what about its injecting forged packets both onto its consumers as well as the Internet? Denials or disclosures aside, this was a wrongful and nefarious act. I find it beyond coincidental that as Comcast ramped its own OnDemand offering, it discriminated against the most popular and efficient Video-over-IP protocol on the Internet.
Chairman Martin, what you just said -- in effect -- is that an MSO can violate the FCC's Net Neutrality Policy Statement as long as they admit it when they are finally caught. At the very most, you're saying that as long as they disclose it, then Network Neutrality does not matter.
No, Mr. Chairman, it does NOT work like that. Disclosure enables a consumer to evaluate different offerings in a competitive marketplace. MOST BROADBAND CONSUMERS ARE NOT SERVED IN A COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE.
Take dial-up service. There are approximately one "kajillion" different competitors and packages available to anyone who can get PSTN service. Some of these dial-up ISPs offer non-neutral filtering and acceleration (prioritization, in effect) as ADVERTISED features. THIS IS PERFECTLY FINE when the marketplace is so flush with choices!!
Personally, I'm thrilled that you see the lie as unacceptable. The biggest Cable MSO (and let's face it, the CATV-Industry itself as Comcast is the controlling force of the NCTA and Cablelabs) did not just lie, nor did they simply fail to disclose. They broke Network Neutrality assurances made to the Commission only a year before.
The members of the NCTA convinced the FCC that a simple policy statement would be sufficient to protect network neutrality. They promised to abide by it. ONLY ONE YEAR after Comcast testified, promised, assured, and crossed-their-heart-and-hoped-to-die about having no plans to discriminate against or throttle any traffic, they fielded the Sandvine technology that does exactly that.
I'm a Libertarian -- about as anti-regulation as you can get. Even in the light of Comcast's despicable acts, I've suggested that the FCC create only those rules necessary to take on the U.S. enforcement role the established normative standards as determined by accepted engineering bodies such as the IETF, IEEE, and ITU.
SO, LET'S SEE SOME TESTICULAR FORTITUDE. If Comcast has demonstrated anything, it's that they cannot be trusted. They've left you no choice but to:
1. WITHOUT DELAY, STOP THE COMCAST INTERFERENCE THAT IS STILL CONTINUING TODAY. At the same time, announce to other MSOs that you will be reviewing their own 2005 statements concerning Network Neutrality, and whether or not they adhered to it, and whether they are currently violating it. In effect, put them on notice that the commission's injunction against continued interference applies immediately to other wireline* CATV and TELCO ISPS as well.
2. By June 30th, financially punish Comcast for their past and current behavior based on the precedence you established in the Vonage blocking case. Likewise, establish a plan to conduct an investiation involving the statements, assurances, and subsequent behavior of the ISPs involved in establishing the 2005 FCC Network Neutrality Policy Statement.
3. The Comcast incident (as well as any other MSOs doing the same thing, such as Cox) illustrates that the Network Neutrality policy described by the four pillars of the 2005 Statement need to be converted into permanent rules. These should be applied to wireline* CATV/TELCO ISPs. These rules should be established and effective by the end of June.
(*Pending further impact study, exceptions should be made for non-wireline ISPs such as WISPs, Satellite ISPs, or other current and future technologies that do not have the same inherent conflicts of interest or barriers to competition as CATV and TELCOS do with Video or Voice over Broadband. The exceptions should only apply if the provider clearly discloses the discrimination and does not violate established technical standards when conducting such discrimination.)
Sincerely,
Robb Topolski
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Robb Topolski -= funchords.com =- Hillsboro, Oregon
"We don't throttle any traffic," -Charlie Douglas, Comcast spokesman, on this report. |
