[Random-bits] FCC protest on open access

[James Love]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 20:26:20 -0400
From: Vergil Bushnell <vbushnell@cptech.org>

PROTECT THE INTERNET!
OPEN ACCESS PROTEST AT THE FCC!
 
WHEN: Thursday, July 27 from 12-1 pm.
 
WHERE: Outside the Federal Communications Commission building, 445 12th
 St, SW, Washington, DC 20554.
 
CONTACT:        Vergil Bushnell
                email: vbushnell@cptech.org
                phone: 202-387-8030
                fax: 202-234-5176
 

There will be a protest against the Federal Communications Commission
from 12-1 pm on next Thursday, July 27. This demonstration will focus on
the FCC's continued refusal to ensure that cable companies offer Open
Access to their broadband platforms.  The theme of the protest is
"Protect the Internet."
 
The July 27th demonstration will take place outside of the FCC's offices
and will coincide with the Commission's hearing on the proposed
AOL/Time-Warner merger. 

Here is a brief summary of the issues involved in the Open Access
controversy. For more detailed background information, please refer to
CPT's Open Access website:  http://www.cptech.org/ecom/openaccess
 
Currently, most residential consumers have two choices for broadband
Internet connectivity -- DSL and cable modem. DSL operators, because
they use telephone lines, are required by the FCC to open up their
lines to competing ISPs. Cable modem operators, on the other hand, are
not subject to any common carrier type obligations.

Cable operators have announced a variety of plans to build an
infrastructure with differential levels of service for content providers
(fast, faster or slower pipes, depending upon the level of service). 
The history of the cable service is to discriminate in favor of
affiliated services, and to use bottlenecks to influence the
distribution of video content. Now cable operators want the freedom to
speed up access to affiliated or favored Internet content, while
deliberately putting others on a slower service.  There are also issues
regarding opportunities of the cable companies to pick winners and
losers in software applications that run on higher tiered cable
platforms.  This has the potential to turn the present Internet
platform, which is a level playing field, into something much
different.

Consider, for example, a quote from this 1999 document from Cisco
Systems, "Controlling Your Network - A Must for Cable Operators." 
According to Cisco, a firm providing hardware and software for the
proprietary cable platforms,  cable operators will be able to:

    "restrict the incoming push broadcasts [from competitors] 
    as well as subscribers' outgoing access to the push 
    information site to discourage its use. At the same time, 
    you could promote and offer your own or partner's services
    with full-speed features to encourage adoption of your services, 
    while increasing network efficiency."

  The FCC chairman, Mr. William Kennard, has been outspoken in his
opposition to proposals that the cable companies be required by the
government to provide non-discriminatory (paid) access to the platforms
for content delivery.  In June, he issued an FCC press release, stating
he trusted the AT&T CEO to do the right thing.  The goal of this protest
is to convince him that his passive policy of "watchful waiting" is a
mistake, and that the F.C.C. needs to protect the Internet.  
Specifically, the FCC should require the cable companies to provide open
and nondiscriminatory access to the platforms for Internet content
delivery. 

Vergil Bushnell
Consumer Project on Technology
email: vbushnell@cptech.org
phone: 202-387-8030
http://www.cptech.org