FCC Fine Print Could Undermine an Open Internet [View All]

[Are_grits_groceries]

Buried in the fine print of the FCC’s proposed Net Neutrality rules is a potential loophole that if left open would undermine the future of Internet freedom.

So says a group of prominent law professors who on Monday told the FCC that its proposed rules don't sufficiently define what the agency means by its use of the terms "non-discrimination" and "reasonable network management."

The professors -- all longtime champions of an open Internet -- submitted a letter to the agency "to flag what we believe are two ambiguities in the Notice that we hope can be addressed early to provide a clearer foundation for comments."
<snip>
The professors are concerned with the contradictory and unclear definitions of key terms that are at the heart of the proposed Net Neutrality rules.

Without clear and reliable definitions of "non-discrimination" and "reasonable network management," we could see the types of blocking that occurred in 2007 when Comcast secretly barred customers from using file-sharing applications such as BitTorrent.

Allowing ISPs this much leeway would effectively eliminate Net Neutrality. The rules need to be unambiguous and strong, the scholars write. And even now, at the beginning of the process, the FCC should be clear as to what it believes the standards should be.
<snip>
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/3/799997/-FCC-Fine-Print-Could-Undermine-an-Open-Internet

With friends like these..........

Damn! Always up to something and hiding huge loopholes in teeniny print. Can't trust a one of them.