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Google, Others Push for 'Strong' Open Internet Action

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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Google and several other Web giants have weighed in on the FCC's controversial net neutrality rules, and they are calling for "strong and decisive action to guarantee an open Internet for the future."

The Internet Association - whose members include Google, Amazon, Netflix, Twitter, and more - filed comments with the FCC today, which ask for three specific guarantees: Internet users should get what they want, when they want it; Internet users should get what they pay for; and all networks should have equal protection.

"Segregation of the Internet into fast lanes and slow lanes will distort the market, discourage innovation and harm Internet users," said Michael Beckerman, President and CEO of The Internet Association. "The FCC must act to create strong, enforceable net neutrality rules and apply them equally to both wireless and wireline providers."

The FCC in May voted to consider new net neutrality rules. But after some pushback over plans to allow for paid prioritization in certain situations, the commission dialed it back and asked stakeholders to weigh in on what they wanted. The deadline for the first round of comments is tomorrow, while reply comments - where you can respond to comments submitted during the first round - are due by Sept. 10.

Google took some heat recently from those who thought the search giant had not been vocal enough regarding the FCC's net neutrality rules, though it did team up with a number of tech firms in May to protest the commission's original proposal.

Now, the search giant and other top Web firms are making their thoughts known. That includes an Internet that is "free from censorship, discrimination and anticompetitive behavior, protected by simple and enforceable rules that ensure a consumer's equal access to the content they want."

Meanwhile, "broadband subscribers should get the bandwidth they are paying for – content should be treated equally, without degradations in speed or quality," the statement continued. "No artificial slow lanes."

Finally, "no matter how users choose to connect to the Internet, net neutrality rules should apply universally on both wireless and wireline networks."

That last point is a switch for Google, which in 2010 teamed up with Verizon to release a plan that would exempt wireless firms from any sort of net neutrality rules. "Wireless broadband is different from the traditional wireline world, in part because the mobile marketplace is more competitive and changing rapidly," the companies said at the time.

Ultimately, the transparency and no blocking bits of the 2010 net neutrality rules applied to the wireless industry, but the anti-discrimination part did not. The FCC suggested in February that that would remain the case this time around, so Google and others might not get what they want on that point.

Not surprisingly, the wireless industry remains concerned about possible net neutrality regulation. Following the FCC's May vote, wireless trade group CTIA reiterated that "wireless remains inherently different from other forms of broadband, whether considering that spectrum needed to fuel wireless broadband is finite, the additional network management required to provide a high quality experience in a mobile environment or the numerous competitive choices available for mobile broadband consumers."

For more, check out How To Submit Net Neutrality Comments to the FCC and Net Neutrality: What's Really Happening?

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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