Verizon Communications Inc. and Google Inc. urged U.S. regulators to leave wireless-Internet services outside most policies that are designed to prevent carriers from making some Web sites perform better than others.
The companies issued a “compromise proposal” for so-called net-neutrality rules. The plan would restrict Internet-service providers from selectively slowing content that travels over their wires, but wouldn’t apply such limits to Web use on mobile devices, according to a blog post by the companies today. They would also exempt new offerings beyond traditional Internet and TV services, such as health-care monitoring.
Google and Verizon argue that the mobile-Internet market is more competitive and changing rapidly, and therefore different from the wireline market. Critics say the proposal would let Verizon and other carriers discriminate against certain traffic, possibly favoring their own services.
“This is exactly what net-neutrality supporters have feared all along — an open door for Internet providers to control content indiscriminately,” said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press, a non-profit group in Washington focused on policy and the media. “This is an attempt by Google and Verizon to self-regulate the same way the banks did in the run up to the banking crisis.”
via Google, Verizon Would Exclude Mobile Web From Rules – Bloomberg.
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