After receiving a letter from Republican lawmakers that it would be a mistake to vote too soon on rules regarding net neutrality, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski delayed a meeting where the issue--and possibly a vote--will be discussed, moving it from Dec. 15 to Dec. 21, Bloomberg reports.
A hot-button issue on the FCC's radar, rules in favor of net neutrality would prevent operators like AT&T and Comcast, for example, who provide Internet service from slowing down or blocking content from providers--particularly those who aren't business partners or in some other sort of favored relationship with a big-pipe carrier or a cable operator.
Congress and the FCC have been somewhat at odds on net neutrality this year, with compromise measures and warnings about the impact on innovation and competition flying thick between them. Add in a good measure of companies like Google, AT&T and Verizon teaming to create their own net neutrality proposition--one that, of course, allows them to control access to Internet content in a way that favors them--and the whole topic becomes an interesting stew.
It's not confirmed that the FCC will vote on net neutrality at the Dec. 21 meeting, but according to Paul Gallant, an analyst with MF Global, there's a possibility it may take place.
For more:
- Bloomberg has this story
Related articles:
Waxman gives up on net neutrality; throws ball back to FCC
AT&T, Verizon join Google in net neutrality group