[governance] US: Senators Want Probe on Content Blocking by Telecoms

[Riaz K. Tayob]

  Senators Want Probe on Content Blocking by Telecoms
     The Associated Press

     Saturday 27 October 2007

     Washington - Two Senators on Friday called for a congressional 
hearing to investigate reports that phone and cable companies are 
unfairly stifling communications over the Internet and on cell phones.

     Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said the 
incidents involving several companies, including Comcast Corp., Verizon 
Wireless and AT&T Inc., have raised serious concerns over the companies' 
"power to discriminate against content."

     They want the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee 
to investigate whether such incidents were based on legitimate business 
policies or unfair and anticompetitive practices and if more federal 
regulation is needed.

     "The phone and cable companies have previously stated that they 
would never use their market power to operate as content gatekeepers and 
have called efforts to put rules in place to protect consumers 'a 
solution in search of a problem,'" they said in a letter to Sen. Daniel 
Inouye, D-Hawaii, the committee's chairman.

     A committee spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter.

     An Associated Press report on Oct. 19 detailed how Comcast Corp. 
was interfering with file sharing by some of its Internet subscribers. 
The AP found instances in some areas of the country where traffic was 
blocked or delayed significantly.

     Comcast - the nation's No. 2 Internet provider - has acknowledged 
"delaying" some subscriber Internet data, but said the delays are 
temporary and intended to improve surfing for other users.

     Verizon Wireless in late September denied a request by Naral 
Pro-Choice America, an abortion rights group, to use its mobile network 
for a sign-up text messaging program.

     The company reversed course just a day later, calling it a mistake 
and an "isolated incident."

     AT&T reportedly changed a service agreement that previously 
included language permitting the company to cancel accounts of Internet 
users who disparage the company.

     Several lawmakers, including Dorgan, earlier this year introduced 
so-called legislation promoting "Net neutrality," which is the principle 
that all Internet traffic be treated equally by carriers.

     Equal treatment of traffic is long-standing practice on the 
Internet. The legislation is a response to suggestions by phone 
companies that they would like charge Web sites extra for preferential 
treatment of their traffic.

     Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications 
Inc. and Britain-based Vodafone Group PLC.
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