Editorial

Net neutrality issue should be watched closely

Thursday, February 5, 2015

When we turn on the faucet, water comes out, and we don't give it much more thought than that.

We pay the bill from the city, or the power company that provides the electricity to pump it out of the ground, and we expect it to appear in abundance when we turn the faucet.

We don't expect to pay a minimum to obtain only a dribble, and we don't think that by paying a premium, we can use it to supply a fire hose.

Replace water molecules with data packets, and you'll understand the issue being debated by regulators, consumers, content providers and Internet service providers.

Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, announced that he wants the power to force providers to treat all content equally.

He'd apply Title II of the 1934 Communication Act, which governs phone service and gives everyone access. He says he won't enforce price controls, but critics say it's only a matter of time before Internet service becomes bogged down in red tape.

Republicans want to enforce basic open Internet, but take away the FCC's ability to help local municipalities build their own broadband. President Obama and congressional Democrats oppose that because they say it will prevent poor and rural areas from deploying high-speed Internet.

Open access is becoming an issue as more and more of us drop cable or satellite television and rely on services like Netflix, HuluPlus and Amazon Prime to view movies and television -- activities that use a lot of the bandwidth provided by AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Sprint, T-Mobile and others.

Most of those companies say they'll be reluctant to improve their networks if they can't be assured of a return. They also quote a Progressive Policy Institute study that estimates treating the Internet like phone service would trigger $15 billion in new taxes a year, including $67 for each wired service and $72 for wireless in new state and local taxes.

Proponents of open Internet, however, note that the Internet Tax Freedom Act prohibits state and local governments from imposing new taxes on Internet access, and that the FCC can shield consumers against some state and local taxes by claiming the Internet is an "interstate" service.

The FCC's five-member commission will vote on the plan Feb. 26, and the plan is likely to be approved along party lines.

It's also likely to face immediate legal challenges unlikely to be resolved for many years.

So, while we probably won't see effects from the new rules immediately, it's an issue those of us who live in rural America, dependant on broadband service for industry as well as entertainment, sh could keep an eye on.

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