Net neutrality always has evoked strong feelings, but feelings can sometimes change. And that’s exactly what seems to be happening. That’s good news in more than one way for the telcos and cablecos that own and operate the nation’s broadband infrastructure.
One of the signs of this change is that Google Inc. (GOOG) has pushed for major cablecos and telcos to create for its traffic an Internet “fast track,” according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported today that it has reviewed documents making such requests. However, according to The WSJ story, one of the cablecos in those discussions is hesitant to create a Google fast track, which it believes could clash with the FCC’s net neutrality guidelines.
Meanwhile, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Yahoo! have dropped out of a net neutrality coalition, and, on a separate front, that net neutrality proponent and Stanford University professor Lawrence Lessig has recently been heard saying that content providers should be able to pay for faster service, according to The WSJ.
Given both Google’s Eric Schmidt and Lessig both have ties to President-elect Barack Obama, it’s an obvious question to ask as to how all this could affect the regulatory hot potato known as net neutrality in the years ahead.