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August 5, 2010

Verizon, Google in Reported Deal for Tiered Internet Use
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The internet and telecom giants Verizon and Google have reportedly
reached an agreement to impose a tiered system for accessing the
internet. The deal would enable Verizon to charge for quicker access to
online content over wireless devices, a violation of the concept of net
neutrality that calls for equal access to all services. The deal comes
amidst closed-door meetings between the Federal Communications
Commission and major telecom giants on crafting new regulations. In a
statement, the media reform group Free Press criticized the
Google-Verizon deal, saying, "The financial interests of Google appear
to have finally trumped its belief in policies to preserve the open
Internet...The Federal Communications Commission cannot stand by and
allow the biggest market players to create two Internets."



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