Verizon: Reclassifying broadband under Title II will endanger the entire Internet ecosystem

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has taken the latest stab at the FCC's Open Internet rulemaking proceeding by calling the regulator out on its option to "reclassify" broadband Internet access service as a Title II common carriage telecommunications service.

In its filing, the service provider said that Title II was developed at a time when traditional POTS voice service was the only telecom service consumers and businesses could get.

"The arcane regulatory framework embodied in Title II was crafted for 19th Century railroad monopolies and the early 20th century one-wire telephone world," wrote Verizon in a blog post. "The price and service regulation inherent in Title II have no place in today's fast-paced and competitive Internet marketplace, and the threats posed by this approach would not likely be confined to broadband providers, but would spread inevitably to other Internet sectors. Moreover, such an approach would be unlawful and, at a minimum, would result in years of counterproductive uncertainty for the entire industry."

Verizon said that the better approach is more of a "balanced framework" that will "ensure that broadband providers act reasonably and would protect against backsliding or bad acts that threaten consumers or competition, while preserving flexibility for all providers to experiment with new approaches that could offer new choices and benefit consumers and small players alike."

The telco's comments come as it continues to engage in a war of words with online video provider Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), which claims the telco has deliberately been slowing down network speeds.

Although it signed a new peering pact with Verizon in April, Netflix reported in its recent ISP Speed Index that average streaming speeds for its FiOS service actually dropped to 1.58 Mbps in June, while DSL plummeted to lower than 1 Mbps.

According to a FierceOnlineVideo report, Netflix has asked the FCC to revamp its latest version of the Open Internet order, saying that it needed to adopt clear and enforceable rules for the last mile that prevented discrimination and blocking.

Having been flooded with comments on the net neutrality, the FCC decided to extend the period by three days to July 18 to enable more service providers and citizens to voice their concerns.

For more:
- see this blog post
- and Verizon's filing

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