Net neutrality gives "free" Internet to Netflix and Google networks

Frontier Communications is asking employees for help in fighting state-neutral rules in California, saying the rules will give "free" access to large Web businesses while increasing costs for consumers.

The Internet Service Provider has urged employees to submit a form asking Governor Jerry Brown to veto the recently approved network neutrality bill of the state legislature. Frontier sent an email to employees and set up an online form for them to send the letter-type to Brown.

"I'm proud to work at Frontier and help run a network that is part of an incredibly powerful Internet ecosystem, which is the backbone of our economy and our daily lives," says the form. But network neutrality rules will "harm consumers and impose complex layers of expensive regulation" and, as a result, "discourage investment and delay the rollout of broadband in California, especially in rural areas without broadband Internet access." ".

The letter states that the rules of Internet neutrality "will generate significant new costs for consumers" but it is not clear what these new costs would be.

In addition, the bill "would essentially create a" free "Internet for large bandwidth users like Netflix and Google," the letter says. This statement apparently makes reference to the Californian bill's requirement that Internet service providers can not escape the protection of network neutrality by slowing traffic to the network's interconnection points. But the bill does not require ISPs to provide free interconnection to companies like Netflix and Google, which already pay for direct connections to ISP networks.

The federal network neutrality rules, now repealed, contained similar interconnection provisions without disrupting these interconnection agreements. California's rules could help content providers to get better deals on the interconnection of ISPs, but it would be surprising that the rules are forcing ISPs to completely stop billing them. interconnection.

Bill forbids blocking, limitation, etc.

The bill would prohibit ISPs from blocking or limiting legitimate Internet traffic and charging fees for websites or online services to provide or prioritize their traffic to consumers. The bill would also prohibit capping exemptions from paid data (aka "zero-rating"), but would allow other forms of zero-rating.

Frontier's standard letter states that the company "supports an open Internet where providers do not block, restrict, or prevent customers from accessing the Internet and browsing the Internet."

The bill was passed last month by the California Assembly and the Senate, despite repeated objections from AT & T and cable lobbyists. Before the Senate final vote, automated calls to seniors said (with no evidence) that the rules would increase cell phone bills by $ 30 a month and slow down their data.

If Brown signs the bill, California risks being prosecuted by broadband providers, who claim that the FCC's repeal of net neutrality deprives states of their own rules.