EDUCAUSE | Network neutrality

"Future of the Internet" Hearing Addresses Network Neutrality Issue

agould — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:45:45 -0500

The Senate Commerce Committee held a full committee hearing regarding "The Future of the Internet" on April 22. Witnesses presented differing views on network neutrality regulations. Those testifying included FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, Kyle McSlarrow of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, actress Justine Bateman, and Patric Verrone of the Writers Guild of America (West).

Bateman and Verrone testified in support of legislation that would promote network neutrality. They told the committee they supported a bill from Senators Dorgan and Snowe that would prevent Internet service providers from blocking, degrading, or otherwise prioritizing content on their networks. Bateman said net neutrality was crucial for the entertainment industry, as well as the marketplace in general.

Stanford Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig told the committee he also supported network neutrality principles. But, he warned that Congress should be careful in crafting legislation so that its impact is "minimal" and not disruptive.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, however, said new regulations are not needed. In a statement issued from his office after the hearing, Martin said his agency would continue to monitor the situation in order to ensure that web access was not blocked. He went on to say that he believes Former FCC Chairman Michael Powell's four principles of Internet open access are currently enforceable at the FCC. (For more information on the four principles, click here.)

Finally, Kyle McSlarrow, president of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, testified that his industry is striving to provide access to customers. However, he said the industry should be able to protect its customers from spam, cyber mischief, and viruses. McSlarrow also said he does not believe operators are participating in anti-competitive practices.

An Interview with Jay Dominick

mpasiewicz — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 17:07:31 -0500

This 22 minute recording provides coverage of an interview with Wake Forest University's CIO, Jay Dominick. Listen in has he shares some thoughts on mobile computing, the Spellings Report, net neutrality, and much more.

Time for Higher Education to Be Heard on Net Neutrality!

gsern — Wed, 24 May 2006 14:24:00 -0500

"Where are the letters? Why isn't higher education contacting Congress?" -- Senate Staff Member (May 24, 2006)

The above quote is part of an actual conversation between a Senate aide and a member of the EDUCAUSE policy office concerning the future of the Internet (ie. Network Neutrality). After months of tireless work by EDUCAUSE members and staff, association, public interest and industry partners, this may be our community's last opportunity to have an impact with Congress as both houses are expected to see movement on their respective bills.

At this critical juncture, your congressmen and senators have heard enough from the "Beltway Bandits". They need to hear from their constituents, and that means YOU! The only way most of Congress will realize net neutrality is a REAL issue is if they hear YOUR CONCERNS, YOUR STORIES.

EDUCAUSE members recently received a version of an e-mail (see below) by a member of the EDUCAUSE executive team. With busy day jobs, it's easy to cast such pleas aside, even when they are rare and come from respected leaders in the higher education community. However, if there is anytime to share your passion for what an open Internet means for education and innovation, the TIME IS NOW!

Let your elected representatives know what net neutrality means for educating your children, their children, and the future of this country. It only will take a few minutes, but the results could last a lifetime.

Dear Colleague,

I am writing to ask your help, as your institution's primary representative to EDUCAUSE, in supporting higher education's position on net neutrality legislation pending in Congress. Some of you will have received similar messages posted to various EDUCAUSE listservs.

I am sensitive to the volume of messages we send our primary representatives, but this involves critical action I hope you will undertake at your earliest convenience.

It is important for you and other appropriate senior officials at your institution to e-mail or fax by June 2 a message of support for pending net neutrality legislation. E-mail and fax are the best ways to send the message, since paper mail to government offices is delayed for decontamination. Phone calls to legislators are also encouraged.

Please pass along the request to faculty and other colleagues, as well.

Congress is debating a variety of bills related to "network neutrality," the idea that the Internet should remain a nondiscriminatory, open network. Having paid for network connections, Internet users should be able to send and receive all lawful content without additional charges or limitations based on why and with whom they are communicating. The large telephone and cable companies, however, have developed business plans that would radically alter this model of the Internet, interfering, for example, with distance learning, inter-institutional research, and even day-to-day class participation by off-campus students.

For more general information about network neutrality, see the EDUCAUSE resource page at <http://www.educause.edu/netneutrality>.

For an excellent one-page summary, see this paper by Mike Roberts:

<http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/CSD4578.pdf>

EDUCAUSE, Internet2, and other associations have been active in supporting network neutrality legislation, and I encourage you to join this effort. At <http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/word/CSD4579.doc>

you will find a draft letter along with instructions for how to find the addresses of your U.S. senators and representatives. Please consider e-mailing or faxing this letter, with or without modifications, to one or all of them. Consider also contacting your campus government affairs representative to encourage your president, provost, or chief research officer to do the same.

Given the legislative schedule, these messages should ideally be received by Friday, June 2, so there is very little time to act.

Thank you for your help.

Brian L. Hawkins

President

EDUCAUSE

Voice Your Support for Net Neutrality Legislation

ecoghlan — Wed, 24 May 2006 12:02:00 -0500

EDUCAUSE and other higher education and IT associations are urging members to e-mail or fax Congressional representatives by June 2 to voice support for pending net neutrality legislation. See a background paper [PDF 12 KB], message template, and resource page.

EDUCAUSE and Internet2 Comment on Weak Draft of Telecom Legislation

ecoghlan — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 12:48:17 -0600

EDUCAUSE and Internet2 have responded to the latest version of House draft telecom legislation, dubbed "The Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act of 2006," by pointing out the lack of sufficient language to ban Internet degradation and user discrimination by Internet providers. Read more about their response and the net neutrality issue.

Resources from Advanced Networking Meeting Now Available

lgesner — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 17:33:38 -0600

You can now access proceedings from the 2006 Net@EDU Member Meeting. Resources include audio recordings of a panel discussion on net neutrality and sessions with Peter Cullen and Glenn Ricart.

EDUCAUSE, Internet2 Support Wyden Net Neutrality Bill

lgesner — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 16:52:04 -0600

EDUCAUSE and Internet2 have expressed support of a bill introduced by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to safeguard an open Internet and net neutrality. Read the press release.

Resources on Net Neutrality

ecoghlan — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 11:45:32 -0600

Net neutrality has become a hot issue as Congress contemplates new telecommunications legislation. You can brush up on the key talking points and background information on the EDUCAUSE net neutrality resource page.

Scott Bradner Discusses Net Neutrality at Feb. 15 Web Seminar

ecoghlan — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 13:08:32 -0600

Hear about the pros and cons of network neutrality in a Feb. 15 EDUCAUSE Live! Web seminar with Harvard's Scott Bradner, a well-known network activist.