NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Beyond Mumbo Jumbo re Intelligent Networks
Gang, I enjoy reading and writing technical mumbo jumbo -- uh, I mean discussions -- as much as the next person, but I'd like to jump in here with a purely practical question. Exactly *who* is going to implement these much discussed, theoretical intelligent network features, and how will such implementations interact, be monitored, and be controlled? Are proponents of "intelligent networks" willing to grant the FCC authority to specify a set of intelligent Internet features that all U.S. ISPs must adhere to? Or are we just talking about a grab bag of prioritization and other "goodies" that any ol' ISP should feel free to choose from and tune however they wish, including giving their own IPTV services an added boost? Who is going to guarantee that various "intelligent" schemes used by different ISPs play nicely together? Who will monitor the implementations to make sure that they adhere to appropriate standards over time and are operating as promised? But wait, the FCC isn't enough -- we do have a global Internet, so all of this fun stuff had damn well work properly internationally as well. Who is going to oversee that? ICANN? ITU? The UN? It seems to me that the sort of "network intelligence" that some in the Internet community may be yearning for could end up requiring an international regulatory regime that goes way beyond the levels of regulation that current minimalistic Net Neutrality concepts might entail. --Lauren-- NNSquad Moderator