I wonder whether Verizon's principal purpose in introducing this qualification might be to protect the current model (used, for example, in FiOS) under which cable service and Internet access are two distinct services, with traditional multichannel video delivery not subject to the kinds of conditions net neutrality would require for Internet traffic.
Some commenters have seemed to assume net neutrality would automatically mean that the traditional cable product would have to be subsumed under Internet access, so that "over-the-top" Internet video could compete on a head-to-head basis with cable operator-delivered multichannel video. The exception in the Verizon-Google proposal might be designed to prevent such arguments, not for some hypothetical future service, but for current cable service. Rick Ellrod -----Original Message----- From: Lauren Weinstein [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, August 26, 2010 4:40 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ NNSquad ] Google, Verizon, and Getting Real Google, Verizon, and Getting Real http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000749.html Greetings. Reactions to the "Verizon-Google Legislative Framework Proposal" ( http://bit.ly/9EEEy7 [Lauren's Blog] ) have been splattering around the globe ever since the two firms announced the plan earlier this month ( http://bit.ly/cpO0bU [Google Public Policy Blog] ). . . . Nor is it clear what sorts of services would qualify for the "additional or differentiated services" offerings (that is, not part of the public Internet per se) proposed by the framework plan. Verizon's CEO, during the conference call announcing the proposal, specifically mentioned "entertainment services" and 3D television -- but these seem among the more problematic examples -- especially given the rapid advances in video encoding technologies (including related to 3D). . . . --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein ([email protected]) http://www.vortex.com/lauren Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 Co-Founder, PFIR (People For Internet Responsibility): http://www.pfir.org Co-Founder, NNSquad (Network Neutrality Squad): http://www.nnsquad.org Founder, GCTIP (Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance): http://www.gctip.org Founder, PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Google Buzz: http://bit.ly/lauren-buzz
