Some net-neutrality proponents say such a solution would not suffice. Barbara van Schewick, a law professor at Stanford University, said that the creation of these fast lanes would still slow down the rest of the internet due to fixed bandwidth.
“It’s not as if you’re just getting something extra,” she said. “We’re using some capacity that would have otherwise been used for the internet.”
The FCC is receiving calls from net neutrality supporters to close the “loophole” by specifying that broadband operators are not only prohibited from slowing down certain types of network traffic, but also from speeding them up. “Allowing ISPs [internet service providers] to speed up applications undermines the essence of net neutrality: ISPs should not be allowed to play favorites, whether by speeding up favored apps or slowing down disfavored ones,” Scott Wiener, a Democratic member of the California state Senate, wrote to Rosenworcel in a letter on Tuesday.
- Date Published:4.24.2024
- Original Publication:Washington Post