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Google: No Net Neutrality Means Antitrust Fight

By Martin H. Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.com

July 5, 2006

Net Neutrality • FCC Votes To Create Net Neutrality Rules • FCC Chairman Proposes New Net Neutrality Rules • FCC Launches Probe Of Wireless Industry • FCC Chair Vows To Enforce Net Neutrality • House Introduces "Internet Freedom Preservation Act" • Obama Promises Support for Cybersecurity, Net Neutrality • Net Neutrality Advocate Tapped As FCC Head • Internet Providers Ponder Bandwidth Limits For Heavy Users • Comcast, Cox Caught Blocking BitTorrent • Will Antitrust Law Save Net Neutrality? • Few Are Neutral in Net Neutrality Battles • Net Neutrality Supporters Testify • Comcast Blocks Public From FCC Hearing • Congress Gets Net Neutrality Legislation • Time Warner To Test Metered Pricing For Broadband • House Committee To Probe FCC • FCC To Investigate Comcast For Blocking Net Traffic • Verizon Wireless Opens Network to All Devices, Software • Comcast Sued Over Internet Blocking • Verizon Overrides Internet Searches With Its Own Results • Comcast Blocks Subscribers From Some Services • Verizon's Abortion Block Raises Net Neutrality Concerns • FTC Nixes Net Neutrality • Wireless Spectrum May Hold Key To Net Neutrality • Telcos Lift Block On FreeConference.Com • FCC Takes Another Look at Net Neutrality • AT&T Blocks Calls To Competing Conference Call Service • Study: Ending Net Neutrality Would Hurt Consumers • FCC, FTC Challenged To Protect Net Neutrality • Net Neutrality Back on Congress' Agenda • Net Neutrality Opponents Step Up PR Blitz • AT&T Trumpets New TV Service • Verizon Joins BellSouth in Retreat From Unexplained New DSL Fee • FCC Nudges BellSouth Into Giving Up New DSL Fees • FTC Head Urges "Caution" On Net Neutrality • Net Neutrality May Derail Telecom Bill • Google: No Net Neutrality Means Antitrust Fight • Senate Prepares for Net Neutrality Showdown • Congress Moves Quickly To Satisfy Telecoms' Net Neutrality, Cable Entry Demands • Net Neutrality Gets Its Day In Congress • Net Neutrality Wins Committee Vote In Congress • Net Neutrality Attracts Surprising Allies • Congress Wrestles with Net Neutrality

Search engine giant Google has publicly warned it will challenge any attempt to infringe on access to its content under antitrust law, according to Google vice-president and "Internet evangelist" Vinton Cerf.

Speaking during a press conference in Bulgaria, Cerf stated that if Congress does not pass effective protections for "net neutrality," the company will file litigation against any company that blocks or degrades access to its service.

"If we are not successful in our arguments," Cerf said, "then we will simply have to wait until something bad happens and then we will make known our case to the Department of Justice's antitrust division."

Cerf is widely recognized as the "Father of the Internet" for his work designing the network connection protocols the Internet operates on.

Accorded multiple honors for his work in creating and developing technologies for government and industry, Cerf was vice president of MCI for many years before being hired by Google to hunt down new opportunities for them.

The battle over net neutrality threatens to derail passage of telecom legislation currently on the Senate's docket. Senate Commerce Committee chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK), author of the legislation, has admitted that he does not have the 60 votes needed to ensure passage in the Senate.

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has put a "hold" on the legislation until amendments protecting net neutrality are added to the bill. A "hold" is considered to be a clear warning of a filibuster.

Although the net neutrality debate has been chiefly regarded as a communications issue, placing it under the mantle of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the concept of placing net neutrality complaints under antitrust law has come up before in the debate.

House Judiciary Committee chairman James Sensenbrenner briefly held up passage of the House's version of the telecom bill on that point, claiming his committee had the proper jurisdiction to address cases of Internet providers favoring one content source over another.

When that effort failed, he co-authored separate legislation designed to protect net neutrality and place it firmly under the Justice Department's authority. That bill passed the Judiciary Committee, but stalled on the House floor.

Cerf has been at the forefront of the battle for net neutrality since it first gained national prominence. In testimony before Congress last year, Cerf stated that network operators did not have the right to tell Internet users who they could or could not connect to, any more than telephone operators could keep customers from calling who they wanted.

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