FCC Rightly ‘Throttles’ Comcast

Sometimes I get squeamish over government telling business what it can and can’t do. But Wednesday’s mandate from the FCC to Comcast in the ongoing inquiry into P2P traffic throttling isn’t one of those times.

We need transparency into the companies that are on-ramps to the Information Superhighway, and the FCC rightly recognized that on Aug. 20. (Except it’s undeniable that the agency is targeting the cable industry while going easy on telcos, which also have been found to throttle traffic...) When the few provide the access for the many, public accountability is necessary to avoid corruption, discrimination and secrecy.

At the same time, providers need to be able to provision their networks efficiently to all users. Operators say that’s what traffic slowing is all about. Yet I agree with tech blogger Om Malik that traffic throttling is no solution, that building better infrastructure is the answer. Yes, that requires more investment on the part of providers.

Then I wonder, do users have a responsibility to the companies that offer Internet access? Is there some social/civic quid pro quo or is broadband a one-sided civil right?

What do you think?

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