Martin Gets the Ball Rolling On “Blocking” Investigation: What Does It Mean And What Happens Next?

MARTIN GETS THE BALL ROLLING ON "BLOCKING" INVESTIGATION: WHAT DOES IT MEAN AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
[SOURCE: Tales from the Sausage Factory, AUTHOR: Harold Feld]
[Commentary] Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin announced the FCC would investigate allegations of blocking content and determine whether they violated the FCC's four broadband principles. The FCC issued a public notice asking for comment on our Petition for Declaratory Ruling that Comcast's “network management practice” of messing with BitTorrent uploads violated the FCC's “Broadband Policy Statement,” which includes a principle that network operators may not block or degrade content or applications. In a separate public notice (but as part of the same proceeding), the FCC also seeks comment on the Vuze Petition for Rulemaking on how broadband access providers handle and shape IP traffic generally. Separately, the FCC issued a separate public notice seeking comment on a Petition filed by Public Knowledge and the usual suspects asking the FCC to declare that wireless carriers cannot deny short codes or block text messaging. This goes after Verizon's high profile “oopsie” of denying a request by NARAL for a short code. Although, as we pointed out in the Petition, the more likely and pernicious problem is with plain old anticompetitive blocking, such as denying a short code to VOIP provider Rebtel.com and denying applications to major banks offering competing services. Bottom line on the Investigation: no way to tell from this what's actually going on or how long it will take. But Martin has done everything that we could wish, and in a reasonable time frame. I therefore remain cautiously optimistic.
http://www.wetmachine.com/totsf/item/990

See also --

* COMMENT SOUGHT ON PETITION FOR DECLARATORY RULING REGARDING INTERNET MANAGEMENT POLICIES. (DA No. 08-91). (Dkt No
07-52). Comments Due: 02/13/2008. Reply Comments Due: 02/28/2008. WCB. Contact: Jon Reel at (202) 418-1580
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-91A1.doc

* COMMENT SOUGHT ON PETITION FOR RULEMAKING TO ESTABLISH RULES GOVERNING NETWORK MANAGEMENT PRACTICES BY BROADBAND NETWORK OPERATORS. (DA No. 08-92). (Dkt No 07-52). Comments Due: 02/13/2008. Reply Comments Due: 02/28/2008. WCB. Contact: Jon Reel at (202) 418-1580
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-92A1.doc

* WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS BUREAU SEEKS COMMENT ON PETITION FOR DECLARATORY RULING THAT TEXT MESSAGES AND SHORT CODES ARE TITLE II SERVICES OR ARE TITLE I SERVICES SUBJECT TO SECTION 202 NON-DISCRIMINATION RULES. (DA No. 08-78). (Dkt No 08-7). Comments
Due: 02/13/2008. Reply Comments Due: 03/14/2008. WTB. Contact: Jennifer Salhus at (202) 418-1310
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-08-78A1.doc