The Internet in the United States officially became a more level playing field on Feb. 26. In a historic, controversial decision — sure to be challenged in court and in Congress — the Federal Communications Commission voted to subject Internet service providers to Title II of the Communications Act, which imposes “net neutrality” on such providers as Comcast and AT&T, and bans preferential treatment for companies and applications, considering all information equal. In effect, an iTunes purchase, a Bandcamp download and YouTube stream will have the same right of way from server to computer. What does the FCC’s vote mean for the music and entertainment businesses? Following are four points of view.
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Tim Wu, Professor, Columbia Law School
“The most important thing about the vote is that it helps preserve the open, chaotic and experimental nature of the Internet, and limits the power of cable and phone companies to demand a different business model. It remains an incubator for anyone who wants to try something, even if they’re not ready for primetime. I guess I’d call it a vote to keep the Internet weird.”
Darius Van Arman, Co-Owner, Secretly Group
“[Our] recording artist Tig Notaro sold over 85,000 copies of her album Live on Louis C.K.’s website. I can’t say this for sure, but I believe that if the Internet were less open, there would have been a lower chance that a sales story like this could have occurred. At the least, it would have been more expensive or an additional middleman might have to have been involved.”
Gabriel Rottman, Legislative Counsel/Policy Adviser, American Civil Liberties Union
“We’ve long said network neutrality is crucial to preserving free speech on the Internet. If you’ve got a company like Comcast that owns NBC, Comcast could block content from CBS over its network in order to give an unfair advantage to NBC. That’s the pure blocking or discrimination issue that the FCC rule would rightfully prohibit.”
Michael Powell, CEO, National Cable & Telecommunications Association
“The day after this order becomes law, consumers will see nothing different in their experience. However, they surely will bear the burden of new taxes and increased costs, and they will likely wait longer for faster and more innovative networks since investment will slow in the face of bureaucratic oversight.”