Hardware Makers Against Net Neutrality Laws

Software and Internet firms have voiced their strong desire to see legislation regarding the issue of Net neutrality, but this has not changed what hardware makers think about the matter. Last week, a group of major hardware makers including 3M, Corning, Cisco Systems, and Qualcomm, sent a letter to Congress indicating their strong opposition to the passing of laws that would authorize Net neutrality, which is the idea that broadband connection providers should never favor certain Web sites or services above others.

The other side of the issue includes big companies such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Amazon, who have all made their desire for rigid laws mandating Net neutrality known to the public and the government. These software and Web giants have already spent millions of dollars on lobbying efforts to make sure that Congress passes laws that would prevent broadband providers from introducing two-tier networks, which would work against Net neutrality by creating a tier for “favored” networks, and another for “unfavored” networks.

The letter was sent to House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. It includes a line that reads, “It is premature to attempt to enact some sort of network neutrality principles into law now.” The letter goes on to say that “Legislating in the absence of real understanding of the issue risks both solving the wrong problem and hobbling the rapidly developing new technologies and business models of the Internet with rigid, potentially stultifying rules.” The hardware firms who backed the letter also voiced their pleasure with the rejection of a network neutrality bill that was supported by a majority of Democrats.

Net neutrality supporters and Moveon.org both say that the FCC must be given the authority to regulate broadband providers that have their eyes set on charging content providers an extra fee for access to faster delivery channels.

In response to all the buzz about the rising Net neutrality concerns, broadband providers have made it known that they will never block traffic or censor sites. They also indicated that they would invest in higher-speed connections if some of it can be secured for paid content.

The hardware firms and their letter to Congress present the public and the government with a clear opposition to the big software and Internet firms that have voiced their strong support for Net neutrality.  However, so far it seems that the hardware makers are trying to seem more cautious than against Net neutrality, though it isn’t hard to imagine them slowly building up a case that will be firmly against prohibiting the implementation of two-tier networks.

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