The Internet has changed dramatically since the early 2000s, when the idea that all data should be treated equally by Internet service providers first became popular. Two of his biggest changes since then include the move from personal computers to mobile devices and the rise in the number of items connected to the Internet, from robot vacuums to entire factories.
As the Internet becomes more widespread, the question of where exactly it begins and ends becomes increasingly vague. Some mobile executives are now arguing that the emerging 5G technology, called “network slicing,” should be considered a nebulous realm beyond the boundaries of the Internet, unconstrained by net neutrality. ing.
The proposal is controversial because these 5G “slices” are not just a sideshow, but could be at the core of what the next phase of the internet will be. Engineers predict that network slices will power the next generation of killer apps, from self-driving cars to self-tuning factories to remote surgery via robotic arms to surreal video games. All of this relies on the slice's ability to act as a “fast lane.” High speed and low latency.
“This is technology that will help us realize the full potential of telemedicine, self-driving cars, autonomous manufacturing and virtual reality,” said AT&T spokesperson Alex Byers.
But is it the internet? What is the Internet?
In 2015, the FCC created a list of internet-facing applications that are exempt from net neutrality because they are not actually the internet, despite relying on it. These include heart monitors, energy consumption sensors, and vehicle control systems. The FCC announced last year that it would review the list of exemptions, asking the public: “Are these still appropriate examples of data services that fall outside the scope of broadband Internet access services?”
Since then, cell phone carriers have been pushing the FCC for an exemption from network slicing. Specifically, T-Mobile sent a 66-page comment to the FCC asserting that network slicing does not meet the definition of “broadband Internet access service.”
This has prompted a backlash from consumer advocates, who warn that it could create a loophole large enough to exempt large parts of the internet from regulation, to the detriment of the rest of the internet.
“When you create these slices, what you end up with is slowing down the Internet as a whole,” said Chao Jun Liu, a legislative associate at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “That is a clear violation of net neutrality.”
It's a difficult question to unpack. In fact, the architecture of 5G (designed to run multiple isolated networks or slices at different speeds and latencies) guarantees net neutrality for all data flowing at the same speed in the pipes (that is, anything that jumps through a queue). This seems fundamentally inconsistent with the traditional concept that nothing is allowed. Or be pushed back. It's unclear how the FCC will square that circle.
Not so long ago, the nebulous question of how cell towers work would have had little to do with regulating broadband Internet over fiber-optic cables. But these two areas are now so intertwined that both technologies fall within the purview of net neutrality. 5G will power not only smartphones, but also a significant portion of US home internet connections through “fixed wireless” services.
The FCC is trying to find a compromise where consumer interests are protected, but companies feel they can still innovate. FCC spokesman Jonathan Uriarte said the agency is still working out the details, but said, “The FCC will not allow 'network slicing' to be used as a get-out-of-jail-free card for net neutrality violations.” Ta.
The FCC is scheduled to restore net neutrality at its monthly public meeting on Thursday as part of an expansion of the agency's powers known as Title II, which gives the agency the authority to investigate internet outages and calls internet service providers to public utilities. will be treated as a person.
The FCC first adopted net neutrality in 2015 after more than a decade of debate on the issue. The rule was repealed in 2018 under the Trump administration, which believed it was too restrictive for companies and discouraged investment in network upgrades. The Biden administration has always indicated it intends to restore them, but failed to secure a Democratic majority on the FCC until October 2023.
In public comments ahead of the vote, FCC commissioners focused on the benefits of internet surveillance to consumers, even as they try to unravel the details of the network split behind closed doors.
“It is common sense that there needs to be some meaningful oversight of this critical service,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told reporters last week. “The reality right now is that the FCC can collect data on long-distance voice outages, not broadband outages. There's nothing modern about that.”
The 2023 U.S. Customer Satisfaction Index, a survey of tens of thousands of consumers, found that internet service providers had the second-lowest customer satisfaction among industries, with only gas stations ranking lower. .
“We often get lost in the weeds, throwing around jargon like reclassification and Title II,” said Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.). “But net neutrality is much simpler than that: ensuring that monopoly or duopoly broadband providers don’t crush competition, squeeze consumers, and crush the vulnerable. ”
Consumer activists began to focus their efforts on the issue of network slicing after noticing that companies like AT&T and Verizon were already mentioning consumer technologies such as video games in their marketing materials about next-generation technologies. Ta. AT&T argues that introducing faster slicing is consistent with net neutrality because app makers decide whether to pay for premium services, rather than AT&T deciding winners and losers. .
“We will implement this technology in a way that gives end users control, creates more choice, and is consistent with the principles of the open internet,” AT&T spokeswoman Byers said in a statement. “App makers, not us, have control over whether an app uses a particular slice.”
Some net neutrality advocates argue that such solutions are not sufficient. Barbara Van Schwick, a law professor at Stanford University, said creating these fast lanes would still slow down the rest of the internet because the bandwidth is fixed.
“You're not just getting something extra,” she says. “We're using some of the capacity that would have been used for the internet.”
The FCC is being urged by net neutrality advocates to close a “loophole” by specifying that broadband operators will be prohibited from speeding up, not just slowing down, certain types of network traffic. I'm hearing your voice.
“Allow ISP” [internet service providers] Application acceleration undermines the essence of net neutrality. ISPs should not be allowed to play the apps they love, whether they speed up popular apps or slow down unfavorable apps,” said Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of California. he said in a letter to Rosenworcel. Tuesday's letter.
The industry argues that broad bans on new 5G features will stifle innovation. CTIA, the US wireless industry lobbying group, warned of a chilling effect it dubbed “Mother May I?”
In addition to the emergence of network slicing, telecom industry executives have emphasized another shift since the early days of the net neutrality debate. It is the rise of Big Tech internet giants as a second layer of gatekeepers who can and do discriminate against certain types of networks. Content on the Internet.
Social media companies like X are known for throttling traffic to rival websites, which is a violation of net neutrality for internet service providers. Telecommunications industry analyst John Strand argues that big tech internet giants are trying to maintain net neutrality in order to keep internet service providers as “dumb pipes” and to preserve the power of consumers to choose what they see on the web. He said he has consistently funded sex advocacy efforts.
“Policymakers should focus on where the real challenge to net neutrality lies. It's a big tech problem, not a broadband provider problem,” said the president of broadband company lobbying group USTelecom. , said Jonathan Spalter.
That battle is outside the jurisdiction of the FCC. Other agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, are pursuing antitrust cases against companies like Google and Amazon for favoring their own services over those of third parties.
