FCC Willing To Act On Web Neutrality

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Kevin Martin said the FCC is willing to step in and prevent attempts by broadband providers to manage their networks, which may result in a user's inability to access a particular application or service on the Web.

"I think it's important to understand that the commission is ready, willing and able to step in if necessary to correct any (unreasonable) practices that are ongoing today," Martin told Reuters. Recent complaints filed by consumer groups against Comcast have drawn renewed attention to the advocates for "network neutrality," who believe the Internet should be an open space. Comcast said it has to manage the flow of data across its network, but some feel this has led to incidents where the transfer of information was slowed or blocked completely.

"They obviously cannot operate without taking some reasonable steps but that does not mean they can arbitrarily block access to certain services," Martin said. Congress is currently studying a net neutrality proposal introduced last week. The issue also sparks vigorous and sometimes heated debate in the online community, where claims of "managing data" are thought of as code words for attempts to restrict user access.

Comcast argues it must have ways of managing its network traffic, as bandwidth heavy video and audio applications and files are downloaded or passed from one user to another. The company, the second-largest Internet service provider in the U.S. with 13 million subscribers, denies blocking access to content.