AT&T Concessions Give New Hope to Net
Neutrality Advocates
Press Release -
11:21 am on January 1, 2007
The concessions made by AT&T Inc. to secure FCC approval for its
merger with BellSouth are being celebrated as a major victory for the
cause of net neutrality.
As
part of its compromise resolution, AT&T pledged that it would not
prioritize or degrade its network traffic on the basis of “source,
ownership, or destination,” for a period of at least two years. A net
neutrality advocacy group by the name of Our Net Coalition is calling
this a victory for the free and uncensored internet.
“We commend AT&T for committing to preserve access to an open
internet, and we thank the FCC commissioners and their staff for their
hard work and dedication over the holiday season to advance consumer
interests,” commented Jim McGann, a spokesman for the group.
One can only hope that AT&T’s compromise will establish a precedent
for other companies in the industry and prompt an unlegislated,
voluntary agreement to uphold the principle of network neutrality.
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