On the eve of the FCC vote, the controversy over net neutrality in the whirlpool

U.S. President Barack Obama in November 14 pressured the Federal Communications Commission to ban Internet service providers from setting up "fast lanes" and relocate broadband services to "utilities", but the FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler refused to accept Mr Obama's proposal.

Republicans immediately seized on the Obama administration's proposals, attacking it as another botched liberal proposal. Ted Cruz, a Texas senator, called it "the Internet version of Obamacare." (Ted Cruz is considered one of the most influential members of Congress and one of the top contenders for the 2016 presidential campaign, and is a member of the Senate's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the internet industry, which says he has accepted campaign funding from telecoms giant Comcast, and is known for attacking the Obama administration's policies.

The seemingly big government and small government struggle has put Republicans in an awkward position: they are on the same line as the broadband operators, who are in the most reviled industry in the United States, facing a vast network of subscribers represented by the company: because of the speed problem, those users are unable to seamlessly watch the card house They are looking to break the speed limit.

The parties have chosen to put a foot on this issue, making the situation (on the net of neutrality) extremely fast. Republicans in the House and Senate have had to change their tactics to begin ostensibly echoing Mr Obama's bill to ban blocking, slowing down and banning fast-track. Republican lawmakers in the US Congress have proposed their own draft legislation to support "net neutrality", but the draft says each of its provisions should be "subject to reasonable network management". The draft will also limit the Federal Communications Commission's oversight power over "network neutrality", which will no doubt sever the Federal Communications Commission's path, and the FCC will not be able to achieve the ban by issuing regulations, Regulatory legislation is the way the Obama administration and most Internet companies support it.

Chip Pickering, a former Republican congressman, is now lobbying for small providers of Internet services that support net-neutrality rules. "Things are not the same as they used to be," he said. "The Republicans confuse net neutrality with a carbon tax and Obamacare, and they say: ' Obama has everything to do, and now he wants to manage the Internet. ' But it's just their gut instinct to react, but they don't really understand (net neutrality). ”

South Dakota State Republican Senator John Toon is now the leader of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and transport. He hoped that the draft legislation would be in place in the next week. That is, before the FCC votes on the net neutrality proposal next month, it is ready to submit the draft to Congress. The Toon says:

"This bill will allow the FCC to get rid of the harsh and messy Internet regulation that protects users who use Web services and protects job-creating start-ups." ”

The Senate Commerce Committee recently held a hearing in which witnesses expressed concerns about depriving the Federal Communications Commission of Control. Many internet companies and online activists believe that many Republican lawmakers are serving the interests of cable broadband companies in the guise of net neutrality.

Internet companies and telecoms operators in conflict

New generation Internet companies such as Comcast say they want to protect themselves from established companies such as At&t, Verizon, Warner and time cable. Because they may use the control of cable TV and light broadband to affect users, so that users access to those content of the competitive web site is slower. If those websites want to improve the speed of user access, they have to pay.

From the summer of 2013 to the beginning of 2014, Comcast users found that it was getting slower and faster to open the Web page. Comcast executives say this is because of the growing popularity of the jet media, which has declined to upgrade its broadband capacity. Last February, the Comcast did let the money, paid a fee, the problem was solved. Nai Fei has not yet publicly paid Comcast how much money. "I think it's a concern because our service did have that kind of experience, which is bad news," said Mr White, head of global public policy at Nai-Fei. Users found that the Web site has been buffered, the video can not be opened to see. The problem of net neutrality involves every household. ”

Comcast, in a filing with the FCC last month, said that if the FCC were to redefine the categories of wireless and cable broadband services, making them a public utility for regulation, it would hurt investment and reduce broadband capacity. If providers of broadband services restrict access to popular web sites like Chennai, they can cause a lot of user losses, says the Nigerian retort. But broadband providers believe that advocating net neutrality is a pointless move to put the cart before the horse. Comcast said: "The public has gone to the problem of ignoring the fact that they are emotional, irrational and exaggerated." ”

Verizon, on its official blog, bluntly blamed the Verizon customers for the slow speed of the Internet. Verizon says the site needs to deliver huge amounts of data but perhaps to cut costs and improve profits, the streaming video company has refused to make more money on bandwidth services, and Verizon bluntly said that if it were to get the endorsement of a large broadband service company, "It's more clear what to do, it's the responsibility".

Amazon is also dissatisfied with the Republican draft FCC bill, which Paul Mizzen, the Amazon vice president, said in his testimony to Congress before the hearing that he fully supported the content of the principle of net neutrality in the draft, but said

"These gorgeous Internet-opening principles will only make sense if they are implemented, the draft (Republican) Bill needs to be revised to ensure that the principle of net neutrality is maintained effectively," and we believe that the FCC should be given the authority to enact detailed regulations to oversee and maintain the effective operation of the principle of network neutrality. "

Former FCC staff Robert M. McDowell in an article in the Wall Street Journal that FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler should try to find a consensus at the polls next month, to achieve a winning win for all. Wheeler himself has said that the FCC could take a holistic approach to network neutrality, balancing the push for innovation and ensuring that Internet service providers (ISPs) are willing to continue investing in broadband.

One of the most watched events in the history of FCC regulation

The two competing factions in the net-neutrality debate have been increasingly lobbying by companies such as cable TV and broadband network service provider Comcast and Verizon, the wireless communications services company, while grassroots guerrilla tactics. Before the vote of 26th next month, the FCC has received 4 million comments, most of which say it supports network neutrality. In the history of FCC regulation, such comments were second only to the 2004 Jenny Jackson incident (when the midfielder of the American professional football finals was performed, Jackson's right bra fell off.) Even though the broadcaster CBS network edited most of the footage, it caused a stir in American society. The FCC later announced an investigation and issued a 550,000-dollar ticket to 20 CBS stations.

On his personal Facebook page, Cruz posted that net neutrality was "the biggest regulatory threat to the Internet" and that the post brought a lot of netizens ' comments. "I am a Republican, I support Senator Cruz and adore him, but this time he was wrong," someone said. Others said: "I am a fan of Ted Cruz, but as a small web site owner, I think the net neutrality is a good thing." "Some people say," Senator Cruz, your tendency to monopolize your position is to risk alienating many voters. Combating cyber neutrality is a conservative goal. ”

Many users and media believe that network service providers can not rely on their network infrastructure services to restrict access to traffic, and should not be for different content, nationality or specific end users to charge a special surcharge, they do not have the power to determine the number of network competition in the main market. Every enterprise or individual has the right to obtain the convenience of the Internet to better innovate and collaborate.

The world is watching the net-neutrality debate, and Americans are now showing people the way they are dealing with it and the end result: whether to maintain an open and equal Internet or to promote a controlled Internet. The FCC has given its choice to the most important issue in its 80-year setting, and the answer is 26th next month.

(This article synthesizes the New York Times author Jonathan Weisman, Wall Street Journal author Robert M. Mcdowell, mediapost.com author Wendy Davis and other information, from Titanium Media translator, Zhaozhong translator, Zhao Zhong editor, network exclusive first titanium media. ）

(Responsible editor: Mengyishan)