Network Neutrality: It’s Baaaaaaaaak!

A real screwup by Verizon during the recent Santa Clara California fire lit up the blogosphere with blame going to Title I Verizon sticking to the letter of a cellular service contract with firefighters throttled the service during a real firefight when data usage surged past the designated number of bits That caused some real problems for the folks on the front lines of the deadly blazeBad move Someone shouldamp8217ve known better Big PR hit So Verizon smartly but belatedly decided that first responders shouldnamp8217t face that situation ever again Good moveBut social media users began citing the shift from Title II to Title I as the culprit in the fire line fiasco Never mind that Title II did not apply to cellular access to the internet Title II only regulated cable and copycat internet service providers ISPs But politicians quickly pointed fingers at the FCCamp8217s decision as the bad seed in all this WrongMost cellular data deals include throttling when the bits get too many Many cellular data plans also include a deal that ISPs couldnamp8217t do under Title II but can do under Title I Include linear or SVOD programming in the same deal for free amp8230 like Netflix free from TMobile Believe me the companies formerly called cable and its copycats thatamp8217s ATampampT and Verizon for your wire andor fiberbased deployments are thinking about how to do the same without facing a public relations blowbackWhat could they do Well donamp8217t forget TMobile sound thinking at this cellular company and its relatively new subsidiary Layer 3 TV It used a workaround Title II by distributing its linear signals over regular paid internet distributors such as Level 3 to cable andor ISP connections closer to the last mile That they claimed delivered better signals It also was a neat dodge to Title II regulationsWhat will they do now The probable first step is to mimic the cellular play offer something for free like maybe a package of OTT signals as a lure for customers Or maybe cut a deal with an OTT package provider to enhance its signal delivery Or maybe try socalled amp8220zeroratingamp8221 by not counting certain OTT packages as part of data usage dealsOh and 5G is on the way Will it really be a wireless competitor to wired or fibered ISPs If so that could change everything Also Titles I and II are in court proceedings And California is determined to return Title II as it became the fourth state to attempt to reregulate the internet along Title II regulationsMeanwhile a robocall campaign backed by antineutrality groups and aimed at seniors threatens a 30month phone bill increase if California really does reregulate the internet One of the groups behind these threats is backed by both ATampampT and VerizonWhat might make sense Well FCC Chairman Ajit Pait told a Utah group that Congress should act A group of Democratic Representatives and Senators think so too I agree But Iamp8217ll follow that with a resounding amp8220fat chanceamp8221 Certainly for this year and who knows what after thatClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160amp160

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Network Neutrality: It’s Baaaaaaaaak!

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Paul S. Maxwell

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Network Neutrality: It’s Baaaaaaaaak!

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Paul S. Maxwell

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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