FTC chief Critiques Net Neutrality

FTC CHIEF CRITIQUES NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com 8/21, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras expressed sharp skepticism toward proposed laws that would levy extensive Net Neutrality regulations on broadband providers. She said extensive Net Neutrality legislation currently pending in the U.S. Senate is unnecessary because there has been no demonstrated harm to consumers, that normal market forces would likely prevent any problems, and that new laws would cause more problems than they solve. "I ask myself whether consumers will stand for an Internet that suddenly imposes restrictions on their ability to freely explore the Internet or does not provide for the choices they want," Chairman Majoras said. Because the FTC shares enforcement authority with the Federal Communications Commission over certain types of deceptive practices by broadband providers, Chairman Majoras' remarks could nudge some senators who have been cautious supporters of Net Neutrality to a more laissez-faire position. A new Internet Access Task Force at the FTC will evaluate Net neutrality proposals in detail, Chairman Majoras said, and present a report with its conclusions. The Public Knowledge advocacy group, which often supports additional regulation of large telecommunications companies, took issue with Majoras's comments, saying 98 percent of broadband customers receive their service from either the telephone company or the cable company. "There are no market forces at work here, much as Chairman Majoras wishes there to be," the group said in a statement.
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