Mayors unanimously oppose Internet fast lanes

The U.S. Conference of Mayors--a group including leaders of the nation's biggest cities--opposes any notion of Internet fast lanes.

In a resolution unanimously adopted by its membership, the mayors made it clear that they like the way the Internet is operating as an open entity and they don't like the pay-for-play proposal being advanced by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.

"All data on the Internet should be treated equally, not discriminating or charging differentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, and modes of communication. Innovation relies on free and open Internet that does not allow individual arrangements for priority treatment over broadband Internet access service," the resolution said, according to a story in The Daily Online Examiner.

The resolution comes in response to recent FCC suggestions that new rules are needed to help net neutrality survive court battles. One of those suggestions is to allow service providers to enter into "commercially reasonable" agreements where content providers pay for priority access.

The mayors aren't the only ones opposing the idea--about which the FCC is accepting public comments through Sept. 15. Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), among others, has said the rules would be a disaster for start-ups and other companies that need access to the Internet and can't afford to pay for it.

For more:
- The Daily Online Examiner has this story

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