MEDIA STUDIES

On April 18 , 2008 , network engineers , Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and economic experts gathered at the Dinkelspiel Auditorium in Stanford University to join The Federal Communications Commission (FCC ) in a hearing on the issue of broadband network management practices

The hearing began with opening remarks from FCC Chairman Kevin Martin as well as his fellow commissioners . At the heart of the hearing was the issue of whether it was necessary to craft mandates that favor an Internet that is open and unregulated by network operators . The arguments revolved around the possibility of either

, a controlled network that prevents the unregulated spread of questionable content - such as copyrighted material and pornography - or an open network that limits companies from creating restrictions that unfairly limit users

The first set of testimonies , veiled under the heading of Network Management and Consumer Expectation-isms ' began with an introduction from Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig . He argued in favor of an open and neutral Internet architecture , asserting that , an open internet made the massive economic gains of the late 20th century possible . In addition , the burden of proof lies on network operators to demonstrate the benefits of a regulated network

Lessig illustrated the concept of a regulated Internet by asking whether an electrical grid would be any better if it allocated service (electrical supply ) based on the device which is plugged in Additionally , Lessig argued that the lack of a clear policy is the source of the problems today with providers like Comcast

Rick Carnes of the SongGuild of America expressed concerns that an unmanaged Internet could be equivalent to a network in which piracy is essentially unregulated , but cautioned that a solution must respect privacy while protecting intellectual property rights . He concluded that a regime that prohibits the management of congestion and the filtering of unregulated content would be a lose /lose ' situation for consumers and songalike

Echoing Lessig 's stance , Michele Combs of the Christian Coalition of America observed that the controversy involving cable and Internet provider Comcast , which hindered the use of BitTorrent transfers utilizes the same techniques which the Chinese government uses to censor the Internet . Combs advocated neutrality because it permits an unbiased communication which allows political groups like the CCA to amplify the voices of those it represents . He also expressed concerns of having a managed Internet as tool used in political propaganda or similar

In the second part of the hearing , Consumer Access to Emerging Internet Technologies and Applications ' Barbara van Schewick , an Assistant Professor of Law at Stanford , argue that network management should affect all applications rather than essentially ostracize individual ones , and suggests that issues of bandwidth that are also the reasons behind proposals for a regulated Internet can be resolved in other ways such as volume caps

The batch of testimonies was concluded by Ben Scott of the public interest group Free Press . Scott asserted that an open Internet does not abnegate the potential to prevent piracy and protect children , but merely guards against corporate...