Comments on network neutrality irk AT&T

AT&T doesn't like the idea of new regulations mandating unfettered access to the Internet, and recent comments from the Obama administration that connected the issue to censorship in China have really gotten under its skin. The telecom giant responded forcefully this week to remarks by White House deputy chief technology officer Andrew McLaughlin, who said that free speech and network neutrality are "intrinsically linked." Net neutrality rules are being crafted by federal regulators that would restrict Internet service providers such as AT&T from blocking or prioritizing content on the Web. AT&T's chief lobbyist, Jim Cicconi, said it was "ill-considered and inflammatory" to connect censorship in China to the practices of American ISPs, whom he said do not threaten free speech. "It is deeply disturbing when someone in a position of authority, like Mr. McLaughlin, is so intent on advancing his argument for regulation that he equates the outright censorship decisions of a communist government to the network congestion decisions of an American ISP. There is no valid comparison, and it's frankly an affront to suggest otherwise," Cicconi said. The White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy defended McLaughlin's comments. "A key reason the Internet has been such a success is because it is the most open network in history," the office said in a statement. "Mr. McLaughlin was simply reiterating the Administration's consistent support for the importance of an open Internet -- both at home and abroad."