The Jeff Pulver Blog: NARUC Caves on Net Neutrality Resolution:

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February 15, 2006

NARUC Caves on Net Neutrality Resolution:

A resolution in support of Net Neutrality, which had passed out of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' (NARUC's) Telecom Staff Subcommittee, met with unexpected opposition from, of all places, the Consumer Affairs Committee. Consumer Affairs? Shouldn't that be the place working most vehemently to ensure consumer empowerment? Maybe "Consumer Affairs" is like the "Flu Shot" - after all, the "Flu Shot" is not FOR the flu, so much as it is AGAINST the Flu. Maybe the Consumer Affairs Committee is not so much FOR Consumers as it is AGAINST Consumers.

I, for one, was not aware of anyone publicly lobbying with NARUC against adoption of a Net Neutrality regulation. Perhaps things go on behind the scenes to which many are not privy.

No matter. I guess NARUC had more of an interest in protecting consumers a few years ago when it passed an earlier iteration of a Net Neutrality Resolution. But those were different times - a time when the Bells and cable companies needed something like net neutrality, as the vehicle to relieve them of other, more onerous, regulations. Now that they got that deregulation, I guess they don't need to give lip service to net neutrality anymore. True colors? I do feel like the line of scrimmage has been secretly moving when we and the regulators weren't looking, until now the Internet Access Providers once on the 50 yard line are now at 1st and goal without ever having called a play.

At least NARUC did not renounce its prior Net Neutrality resolution. And, at least, everyone is still concerned about the public appearance of opposing such a worthy policy goal as Net Neutrality.

Tags: Net Neutrality, NARUC, Jeff Pulver

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