Open Access Rules: History Repeating Neutrality
Verizon Wireless has asked the U.S Court of Appeals for District Columbia to review the Federal Communications Commission rules concerning 1/3 of 62MHZ of Spectrum in the 700 MHz band. This means if Verizon wins, they must let other carriers connect to their wireless network.
The rules that are concerning this case are called “open access rules.” These types of rules started when Congress defined the common carrier in 1910, which stopped Western Union Telegraph from giving preferential treatment to the Associated Press. Another example of these types of rules is the Kingsbury Commitment of 1913, which allowed smaller independent companies to interconnect with AT&T's long distance network. Most recently, Congress has written bills about Network Neutrality. These bills have language that prohibit broadband carriers to give preferential treatment to their partners and stops the carriers from blocking their competitors.
In conclusion, the open access rules that Verizon wants reviewed; have been reviewed before. Verizon and other companies like it in the information communication world can be viewed as the Ebenezer(from an opponent 's viewpoint); who does not believe in neutrality. Ebenezer believes in keeping all access to himself. Ebenezer does not grow, but ages old and does not change. Those who agree with these types of rules are the beggars asking Ebenezer for money, so they can continue to make it with what they have. Therefore they find out ways to use what little they have. They do not waste…They become more efficient with what they have by becoming more innovative.
So in sense, by agreeing with these rules,technology improves and mostly everyone is happier, except for Ebenezer… all because he does not want to share his wealth.
He remains cold and unchanged. Staring outside as the seasons change.
References
Chapter 7 The Spread of Regulation. Retrieved March 2, 2007, Web site: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/these/available/etd_0698-91234/unrestricted/
Common Carrier. Retrieved April 19, 2007, from CyberTelecom Web site: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/common_carrier.htm
Gross, Grant (2007, September, 14). Verizon sues FCC over open-access auction. Network World, Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/091407-verizon-sues-fcc-over-open-access.html
Network Neutrality. In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality
Telecom Carriers Retrieved April 19, 2007, from CyberTelecom Web site: http://www.cybertelecom.org/notes/telecom_carrier.htm
The Interstate Commerce Commission was the regulatory involved. The FCC ws not form until 1934. Interstate Commerce Commission. In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved March 2, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Commerce_Commission
The Communications Act of 1934 47 U.S.C. § 153 (10)