And why should you care either way?
The LA Times’ David Lazarus gives some background as to why you should care:
As it stands, high-speed Internet service is classified by the Federal Communications Commission as a “Title I” information service in the same way that Google is an information service. This means broadband providers such as phone and cable companies are only lightly regulated by the agency.
By reclassifying broadband as a “Title II” telecom service — like, say, phone service — the FCC would be able to more closely oversee providers’ actions and pricing, and would be better positioned to implement its recently announced 10-year plan to bring high-speed Net access to virtually every U.S. home.
Still not clear why you should care? As you might have heard, the FCC recently lost in its clash with Comcast, when a D.C. court declared that the FCC has no power to mandate that the cable-broadband giant be net neutral. Because of the decision, Comcast is fully within its rights to slow the transmission of any website it wants—and as you might imagine, it’s in Comcast’s interests to make it difficult for web users to access content competitors such as iTunes and Netflix.
As Lazarus explains, if broadband is reclassified so as to give the FCC more oversight power, we’d all be a bit more assured of accessing any site we want with as speedy a delivery as possible. In theory, of course. Who knows what will actually happen when any government agency takes on new responsibilities. Lazarus writes:
Bottom line: We live in an increasingly broadband world. Such a world needs rules, and it needs someone to enforce those rules.
The telecom industry would prefer calling all the shots, and it will fight to maintain absolute control over how people use their networks, including what sites they can visit, what they can do online, perhaps even what they can say.
And if you’re thinking that Comcast is a good company, and that there’s no need to interfere, well, there are plenty of consumers out there who feel differently.
Consumerist’s March Madness-style tournament aimed at naming the
Worst Company in America just ended. And guess who came out on top, err, bottom and won the title? Yep: Comcast. And that’s after Comcast was a near winner the previous two years.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think Comcast will repeat its dubious distinction next year. My money is on this “new” company named
Xfinity, which apparently is some kind of porn business.