a neutral internet full of opportunities paul v. mockapetris chairman & chief scientist, nominum...
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A Neutral Internet Full of Opportunities
Paul V. Mockapetris
Chairman & Chief Scientist, [email protected]
Visiting Scholar, l'Université Pierre & Marie [email protected]
What is Network Neutrality?
• Wikipedia– Network neutrality is a principle that advocates no restrictions by
Internet service providers or governments on consumers' access to networks that participate in the internet.
– Specifically, network neutrality would prevent restrictions on content, sites, platforms, types of equipment that may be attached, and modes of communication.
What is Network Neutrality?
• New York Times– The concept of “net neutrality" holds that companies providing
Internet service should treat all sources of data equally.– It has been the center of a debate over whether those companies can
give preferential treatment to content providers who pay for faster transmission, or to their own content, in effect creating a two-tier Web, and about whether they can block or impede content representing controversial points of view.
What is Network Neutrality?
• As explained to me by a big telco employee– If we make any decisions on what to do with a packet based on
anything other than the address, including who owns the address, we get in trouble.
Recent Headlines• Electronista | Gadgets for Geeks - May 1, 2012
– Sony stalls video service plans over net-neutrality concerns
• The Huffington Post - April 30, 2012– Josh Levy: A Victory for ATT's Shareholders
• GigaOM - April 27, 2012– Even if carriers don't like net neutrality, their investors should
• Save the Internet Blog - April 27, 2012– A Victory for ATT's Shareholders
• PC World - April 27, 2012– Net Neutrality Provision Gets 5.9 Percent of ATT Shareholder Votes
• The Verge - April 27, 2012– ATT stockholders vote down net neutrality measure by overwhelming margin
Recent Headlines• Say Anything - April 25, 2012
– FCC Creates $300,000,000 Entitlement For Rural Internet
• Betabeat - April 24, 2012– Testify! Barry Diller Tells Congress to Rewrite Net Neutrality Laws So They Don't Favor Cable
Companies
• Post I.T. - April 24, 2012– Senate hears about online video and lots of brand placements, too
Who’s Rights Are Violated?
• WiFi provider gives free web access, but substitutes in new ads.
• Parties:– User– WiFi hotspot– Web page creator– Original ad insert
• What about the Firefox tool to suppress ads?
• What about enterprise firewalls?
Who is Responsible?
• Can Google sell the BMW search term to Mercedes?
• Who can own the search term for “generic Lipitor”?
• Who is responsible for malware on a website?
What’s a network?
• Cable companies typically deliver two types of service:– Digital Video
• Multiple “channel” packages
• It may be all digital to a set top box, or real analog channels, or a mix
– IP• Good old Internet
• Do we want the same neutrality rules for both types?
• If priced by usage:– By the show?– By the bits consumed?– Who profits from
multicast?
The Most Basic Question
Observations
• Every party wants no regulation for themselves, but regulation for everyone else– Intellectual property owners vs. users
• Who decides how many DVD regions?• Do copyrights last forever?
– Upper level services vs. IP transit• IP was once a value added service.
– Wireless vs. wired• Wireless is special? What about WiFi?
• A lot of it is “Who pays, and who gets”
My Conclusions
1. Separate solutions for separate societies.– I speak only for my opinion on US policy.– We should learn from differences.
2. The Internet is NOT so special: go back to “Regulate monopolies or create competition”– There’s no purely technical solution, particularly in
a single network layer. From photons to Facebook.– No special exemptions for “high levels”, wireless,
app stores, APIs, etc.
My Conclusions
3. A policy-free network is not the answer– Everyone accepts filtering spam– The network has a role in security
4. Ensure funding for innovation– Whether Bell Labs or IPO model
5. The Network, like other platforms should remain generative
One last Point
• Much of the problem is caused by mistrust & conflict between citizens, carriers & government.
• If we can do more in the network, we can do more for all, but there are hard choices.
Examples
• If we let the operator watch traffic, it can detect attacks & infections– Should it notify the user?– Should it protect other users from the infected ones?
• Let the user specify blocking:– Per destination blocking rules: warn/block/pass– Implement in carrier?– Keep the user’s rules private
Questions?