Google’s Version of Net Neutrality: Evil or Not? (video)

With Google and Verizon’s new joint vision for an ‘open internet’ announced yesterday, much as was predicted, no one was any happier and everyone still thinks Google has turned evil, and they may indeed be just that. Keeping this in mind, here is a video posted not long ago about net neutrality:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9jHOn0EW8U[/youtube]

Along with their statement to congress they posted a statement on their blog, co-posted by Verizon, stating their vision for the future of the internet as an open innovative infrastructure. Here are my paraphrased highlights of the seven key elements of the statement posted on Google’s public policy blog:

1. We support the FCC and what we propose will make their principles fully enforceable.
2. As well as these principles we think there should be another one prohibiting discriminatory practices. This would mean that ISPs can’t affect the availability of any legitimate content that will harm competition. This especially includes ‘paid-for’ prioritisation.
3. We want transparency laws so that consumers stay informed about their wireline and wireless services.
4. Our proposal makes clear how the FCC is in charge and outlines their antidiscrimination, consumer protection and enforcement powers (including the option to impose a penalty of $2m on violators).
5. To ensure the option for innovation, ISPs should be able to offer additional different services on top of the regular internet and video services. This way, if any new internet advancements occur (like teleportation (fingers crossed!)) while ISPs will be free to work on this as an additional service, they can also charge extra for it.
6. Because the wireless internet thing is changing so quickly and the mobile market is in the ascendancy, we don’t want to make any rules about this just yet. We do still want the transparency rules to apply though and we want the Government Accountability Office to do a review of this rule every year.
7. We think that everyone should be able to have the internet, so we support the Federal Universal Service Fund.

In particular, points 5 and 6 are the most controversial. These points seem to leave a giant ‘however’ after Google’s support for net neutrality.

While these are all just suggestions from Google and Verizon for rules which they think the FCC should adopt, they didn’t get where they are today by picking their noses and flicking what they find at the wall. With their brain power and corporate clout you can be sure that this proposal has been planned down to the last detail, meaning that they will be ready to lose a couple of their points in the wash as long as they get the majority of their proposal adopted they could be quite happy.

The problem for Google is that no matter how prepared their proposal is and how perfectly they may have predicted the reaction of Congress and the FCC, they may have underestimated the public reaction to their statements. For some, when they read from a journalist’s point of view, may see this as the moment in which Google “went evil”.

While I don’t think Google has gone evil at all, I have already come across many comments left across a number of mediums including things like “just heard Google and Verizon made a deal against net neutrality! No politician does anything about Google!” and “Because of what Google did, I’m switching to Bing.” And while these are in no way direct quotes from anyone in particular, they do demonstrate the  general sense which is emerging as a result of the current situation.

Even if it turns out that Google aren’t evil after all, I wonder what the PR fall out will bring?

Here is the full Verizon-Google Legislative Framework Proposal that they presented to Congress:

Verizon-Google Legislative Framework Proposal

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