AT&T Chief, FCC Chair Clarify on Net Neutrality

AT&T CHIEF, FCC CHAIR CLARIFY ON NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Marguerite Reardon]
Edward Whitacre, whose comments initially ignited the debate over whether new laws were needed to preserve network neutrality, said here on Tuesday that fears his company and other big network providers would block traffic on their networks are overblown. "Any provider that blocks access to content is inviting customers to find another provider," he said. "And that's just bad business." "AT&T will not block or degrade traffic, period," he said. "And we won't change (our position) no matter what sky-is-falling rhetoric you hear. Markets work best when consumers have choices." FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said that he believes the FCC's existing principles are sufficient to address problems that may arise should network operators block traffic. "I think the FCC has authority to act," he said. "And it has done so in the past." Chairman Martin also said he supports the right for network operators to differentiate their networks and prioritize traffic on their networks. "We need to make sure we have a regulatory environment (in which network operators) can invest in the network and can recoup their costs," he said.
http://news.com.com/AT38T+chief,+FCC+chair+clarify+on+Net+neutrality/210...

* FCC Chair Says Commission Has Authority To Enforce Net Neutrality
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1837016...

* AT&T Dismisses BellSouth Merger Critics
[SOURCE: Associated Press, AUTHOR: Peter Svensson]
Ed Whitacre Jr., the chief executive of AT&T, dismissed critics who say its planned merger with BellSouth Corp. will form a near-monopoly for Internet access and give it the clout to dictate terms to Web sites if they want to remain reachable. Whitacre said some have turned AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth, valued at $67 billion when announced two weeks ago, into a "referendum" on net neutrality. SBC Communications pledged last year to uphold the principles of net neutrality until 2007 as a condition of its acquisition of AT&T Corp. The merged company took the name AT&T. Analysts have noted that AT&T will likely have to extend that pledge for two more years to gain approval for the acquisition of BellSouth, which is expected to close next year. That would delay resolution of the issue until 2009.
http://www.the-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060321/APF/6032...

* Disney's Iger: No Net Neutrality Laws Needed
http://www.governmententerprise.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=183...