Google-Verizon deal. The end of the internet as we know it?

These are some of the top articles circulating around the web concerning the possible changes coming to the internet concerning net neutrality and the possible new “premium” access.

Op-Ed Contributor -- A Net Game for Google? -- NYTimes.com

MY three young sons never hit each other. They may poke, push, graze, bump or even slap, but they never hit, because Mom says hitting isn’t allowed. This same semantic technique fits the mind-set of technology companies like Google. The geekier these companies are, the more tactical is their use of language.

And so in last week’s controversy over whether Google and Verizon are hatching a deal to undermine net neutrality, it pays to look closely at their words. Both companies maintain that there is no deal and that no money will be paid for faster transmission of data. This is probably true in a literal sense, though something is clearly happening between the companies. I think Google has just found a way to fool Mom.

Net neutrality is the concept that all data packets are created equal and Internet service providers should not give priority to one kind of data (say, video conferencing) over another (say, e-mail). Internet partisans love net neutrality while telephone companies tend not to. Why not allow e-mail to run a little slower, they argue, if that lets services that need higher performance run faster? The difference is payment: users and the Federal Communications Commission worry that once a differentiation is made, the service providers will start charging for faster service and poorer users will suffer as a result. It’s a slippery slope.

via Op-Ed Contributor -- A Net Game for Google? -- NYTimes.com.

Google looks to cut a deal with verizon -- The Inquirer

ADVERTISING BROKER Google is in private talks with Verizon to monetise the priority of traffic handled by the US telecoms giant.

The New York Times is reporting that the two sides are nearing an agreement that would see Google renege on its net neutrality stance. The newspaper said that its sources were only able to disclose that an agreement could be announced as soon as next week.

Net neutrality has become a political issue, with the FCC engaged in rule-making and under intense lobbying pressure from numerous companies including the major US broadband Internet service providers and big media companies arguing for ‘self-regulation’, that is, no FCC regulation.

On the other side have been Internet companies like Google, many technology companies and well known network engineers such as Tim Berners-Lee and Vinton Cerf, supporting regulations to maintain the free, open and egalitarian Internet. The term ‘net neutrality’ proposes that all Internet traffic, irrespective of source or destination, should be treated equally by carriers.

Google has publicly voiced its support for net neutrality in the past, however if such a deal with Verizon goes through it might mean a complete reversal of Google’s position and perhaps open the floodgates for other content providers to strike similar deals.

One fear is that if content providers pay for red carpet treatment on networks, the additional costs will be passed on to customers in pay-per-view programming similar to that of cable TV networks, and higher bills.

via Google looks to cut a deal with verizon -- The Inquirer.

Google and Verizon Near Deal on Pay Tiers for Web -- NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — Google and Verizon, two leading players in Internet service and content, are nearing an agreement that could allow Verizon to speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content’s creators are willing to pay for the privilege.

The charges could be paid by companies, like YouTube, owned by Google, for example, to Verizon, one of the nation’s leading Internet service providers, to ensure that its content received priority as it made its way to consumers. The agreement could eventually lead to higher charges for Internet users.

Such an agreement could overthrow a once-sacred tenet of Internet policy known as net neutrality, in which no form of content is favored over another. In its place, consumers could soon see a new, tiered system, which, like cable television, imposes higher costs for premium levels of service.

Any agreement between Verizon and Google could also upend the efforts of the Federal Communications Commission to assert its authority over broadband service, which was severely restricted by a federal appeals court decision in April.

via Google and Verizon Near Deal on Pay Tiers for Web -- NYTimes.com.