FCC LAUNCHES INQUIRY INTO BROADBAND MARKET PRACTICES

The Commission in 2005 announced four principles to encourage broadband deployment and to preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of the public Internet. The new inquiry, announced on March 22, 2007, seeks information on the behavior of broadband market participants, including:

-How broadband providers are managing Internet traffic on their networks today?

-Whether providers charge different prices for different speeds or capacities of service?

-Whether FCC policies should distinguish between content providers that charge end users for access to content and those that do not?

-How consumers are affected by these practices?

The inquiry further seeks comment on whether the 2005 policy statement should incorporate a new principle of nondiscrimination and, if so, how would "nondiscrimination" be defined, and how would such a principle read. The issue of nondiscrimination is central to the net neutrality debate. Commissioners were divided on whether the inquiry is a big enough step to ensure fair access to the broadband internet.