Scanlyze

Seven Questions on ‘Net Neutrality’ for Ann Arbor City Councilman Ron Suarez

Ann Arbor City Councilman Ron Suarez has been getting some good press for his putative support for ‘net neutrality’ — see Michigan City Councilman Fights for Net Neutrality. Ron has opened up his public blog for discussion of this issue.

I have some more questions arising from Cable Bill Threatens Community Access and Leaves Out Net Neutrality on RonSuarez.com:

Ron,

1) Could you please explain what the term ‘network neutrality’ means to you?

2) Are you for or against ‘network neutrality’ as you have defined it?

3) You said, Net Neutrality, besides helping non-profits and others who may never make a fortune, also helps innovators like the You Tube founders to leverage their creativity to make a fortune. Isn’t this the “American Dream?”

How would “net neutrality” help non-profits and “others who may never make a fortune”?

Do you think internet routing currently is “neutral” or “non-neutral”?

And I would say that “liberty and justice for all” is my ideal of the American Dream. “Make a fortune” is the opposite of that as far as I can see.

4) You said, There are countless web sites that I use, which would have never stayed afloat or even gotten started in the world that Comcast and AT&T would like to have.

Could you name such a site and explain how they would never have never stayed afloat or started and what would have made this difference?

And, how do you think “the world Comcast and AT&T would like to have” is different from how the “world” is now?

5) Please explain why it would be helpful or beneficial to replace the system of IETF committees and RFC’s with legislation? What penalties and means of enforcing compliance would you propose? What organization or body would oversee this? How would this be funded? How would or should it be imposed and enforced on the entire internet outside the US?

6) Please explain how Quality of Service routing would be accomplished under “net neutrality”?

see: INDEX RFC : QOS

7) Please explain why it should be illegal for a service provider to give priority to, for instance, data traffic from a trauma center which is a customer of that provider vrs. spam traffic from non-customers?

see also: Robert Kahn speaks out against ‘Net Neutrality’
Hands off my Router! Bad Government! — No to ‘Net Neutrality’!

Copyright © Henry Edward Hardy 2007

14 February, 2007 - Posted by scanlyze | Ann Arbor, AT&T, cable commission, city council, Comcast, government, IETF, internet, Michigan, net neutrality, policy, QoS, Quality of Service, questions, RFC, Ron Suarez, routing