”The continued success of the Internet as a...

"The continued success of the Internet as a platform for innovation, speech, and commerce should not be taken for granted,” the Internet Association said in comments to the FCC posted Friday (http://bit.ly/1si0Oyr). The Internet Association includes Amazon, AOL, Facebook, LinkedIn and other major edge providers. Broadband ISPs have a “gatekeeper” function and the ability to discriminate against certain types of Internet traffic, the association said: “The Commission should adopt enforceable rules to preserve the fundamental characteristics of an open Internet.” Section 706 of the Communications Act, along with Titles II, III and VI, give the FCC “the authority it needs” to protect the Internet, the association said. The group pushed transparency, no-blocking and nondiscrimination rules, and said they should apply to both the wired and wireless environments on a case-by-case basis. “Wireless broadband is no longer the fledgling platform” it was at the start of the original net neutrality proceeding, the association said. “New companies that are excluded from mobile broadband will not be able to compete fairly or effectively.” As for interconnection policies, the association said it believes the entire industry of ISPs, content delivery networks and application providers should “aspire” to settlement-free peering “because that outcome ultimately benefits all stakeholders in the Internet ecosystem.” An FCC spokesman confirmed the agency won’t consider regulating peering or interconnection as part of its new net neutrality rules, but will continue to monitor the situation in case regulation is needed in the future (CD April 2 p2).