Steve Worona
Director of Policy and Networking Programs
EDUCAUSE
Gary Bachula
Vice President for External Relations
Internet2
Earl Comstock
President and CEO
COMPTEL
Richard Greenfield
IP Policy Manager
University of Alaska
“Network neutrality” is the concept of keeping the Internet open to all content, information, applications, and equipment, regardless of who might be at either end of the connection. There is increasing concern that the owners of the local broadband connections (usually either the cable or telephone company) may block or discriminate against certain Internet users or applications in order to give an advantage to their own services. Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA) has commented that he hopes the Internet is not “destroyed by issues of last-mile ownership.” At a recent Senate hearing, Vint Cerf said that “nothing less than the future of the Internet is at stake” in legislation regarding network neutrality. Meanwhile, the managers of the country’s mega-ISP’s assert that they cannot continue investing billions of dollars in high-speed Internet infrastructure without the freedom to explore multi-tiered services and other non-uniform business models. This panel will explore these arguments, including how they might impact higher education’s own networks, and will also consider actions that the higher education community is already taking and might take in the future.
Web Sites:
http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=807
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EPO0607.pdf
http://www.publicknowledge.org/content/papers/pk-net-neutrality-whitep-20060206
http://static.publicknowledge.org/pdf/pk-net-neutrality-summary-20060206.pdf
