Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras first convened the Task Force in August, which was when it first discussed net neutrality. Majoras called for the workshop to further debate the issue.
The crux of the debate surrounding net neutrality centers on the principal that broadband providers should not be able to discriminate against certain websites, content delivery or ISPs. Some network operators argue they should be able to charge extra for bandwidth-hogging downloads and other special services.
Network neutrality has been a hot-button issue lately and has spurred support from Internet giants such as Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Amazon.com, The Christian Coalition, National Religious Broadcasters and Gun Owners of America. Even the founder of the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee, stepped forward to voice his disdain for giving Internet service and broadband providers the right to create an Internet “fast lane.”
While net neutrality has garnered a lot of public support, it has taken a beating in the legislature. In a narrow vote in June, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee failed to enforce strict net neutrality regulations. The panel, knotted at 11-11, rejected the Democrat-backed bill. A majority was needed for the bill to pass.
Earlier in June, the House of Representatives rejected the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act, or COPE Act, by a decisive 211-58 vote, with Republicans taking the lead. The COPE Act aimed to restrict the major broadband providers from being able to offer varying pricing structures to consumers based on different access speeds.
The FTC’s February workshop is free and will be open to the public. It also will be available to view via live webcast on the FTC website. Additionally, the FTC said it would include Internet experts to participate on workshop panels.