FCC should ensure balance

Kansas City Star: The Federal Communications Commission is proposing a new set of rules that supporters say would guarantee the continued openness of the Internet.

Well, who could be against that? Indeed, for the most part the plan seems benign, although it’s not clear that Internet regulation is needed at this point, given the Web’s fiercely competitive environment.

The potential problem is a proposed rule that would bar Internet service providers, or ISPs, from discriminating against certain traffic or applications.

Devil in the details

Certainly no one is in favor of allowing cable TV and phone companies to disrupt or block traffic on their networks. But the Internet providers rightly worry that this could be another case of the devil is in the details. Would the rules lead to policies effectively barring efforts to efficiently manage Web traffic?

The danger is the FCC will unduly tie the hands of Internet providers, inhibiting investment in more broadband capability and perhaps thwarting any traffic-management technologies that might otherwise be developed.

The FCC should make sure that in its effort to ensure “openness,” it doesn’t unintentionally whack the investment and innovation needed to maintain the Internet’s efficiency.

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