The Federal Communications Commission has disciplined home broadband providers for filtering and blocking specific types of traffic, but now the first solid rules on how Wireless carriers and Internet providers handle customer traffic was proposed by the chairman of the FCC. The rules will also focus on regulating how wireless companies relay internet traffic to mobiles.
Many concerns have been raised about how these regulations are executed. If not done carefully, these ‘rules’ could hinder investment in Internet access. Obama has argued the opposite, saying that if done correctly, it can stimulate innovation and investment.
Service providers are trying to find a way to distribute network capacity among their customers, both wired and wireless. Connections are slowed for everyone when heavy users overwhelm cell towers and local circuits. Where on the other hand companies such as Google want to protect the idea that ‘all types of data are treated equially’. If carriers begin to block or slow traffic, then they have the power to ignore innovative services. This is why the chairmen of the FCC is proposing a strict rule that Internet providers can’t pick and choose which types of traffic to regulate.
