Federal Lawmakers to Meet on Oct. 22 to Discuss Net Neutrality

WASHINGTON — Net neutrality will get its shot on Oct. 22.

U.S. lawmakers will formally propose a new set of net neutrality regulations during the third week in October at a meeting that will include FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

Advance word holds that the five-member panel will vote 3-2 in favor of new Internet regulations that would ensure the free flow of information online.

Net neutrality advocates argue that ISPs must be forced to provide users with access to all of the Internet without a tiered price structure that would favor only the biggest, wealthiest websites.

In addition, Chairman Genachowski said that the new rules would stop online operators from discriminating against any competing Internet applications. That means that companies like AT&T would no longer be able to prevent users from using competing voice services, such as those offered by Skype, Google or eBay.

Naturally, these rules have sparked protest from those big companies. Both AT&T and Verizon have complained about the proposed rules. AT&T argued that the wireless market's competitive nature is enough to protect consumer interests, and that opening up the networks to a free-for-all would cause untenable network strains.

Against the backdrop of this controversy is a feud between tech giants AT&T and Google. AT&T accused Google of hypocrisy because Google blocks certain phone calls made through its Google Voice mobile application.

On the flip side, AT&T has been the subject of widespread criticism alongside its partner, Apple, because of Apple's ban on the Google Voice app from Apple's App Store.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

Show More