Telecom neutral

12 August 2010 By Rob Cox Follow @rob1cox

Set aside ideology and consider the math. The top four US telecom firms the Pipes have about $140 bln of debt. The biggest beneficiaries of Web access the Swipes have that much cash. But they depend on the Pipes. Symbiotically growing the profit pie looks unavoidable.

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Google and Verizon unveiled a joint framework on how best to protect the future openness of the Internet and encouraging the rapid deployment of broadband.

Under the proposal, carriers could not slow or favor certain data traffic over others on wired Internet access. However, new broadband services, such as health care monitoring and smart grid applications, could be exempt from these rules. The Federal Communications Commission would monitor the development of these services to make sure they don't interfere with the continued development of Internet access services.

Data transmission over cellular networks would largely remain unregulated.

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