The big guns were weighing in last week as FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski was reportedly preparing a network neutrality item for a vote.
According to an ex parte filing, Verizon Chairman Ivan Seidenberg put in a call to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski saying Verizon was willing to work with the FCC on preserving the open Internet, but said "the FCC should not adopt rules that would effectively dictate the structure of what is still a new and evolving industry." It was not clear in the disclosure whether he was talking about the Internet in general or wireless broadband in particular.
The commission is said to be working on a variation of a compromise hammered out on the Hill that would expand and codify network neutrality guidelines, including adding a transparency and nondiscrimination principles, and applying some of those to wireless broadband--Verizon's territory--though, at least according to one source close to a commissioner, not applying them to managed services.
Verizon and Google came to agreement on a net neutrality framework that would only apply the nondiscrimination principle to wireless broadband and would allow for managed services. But that side agreement helped sidetrack FCC brokered talks on a stakeholder compromise.
If the FCC chairman is going to vote a network neutrality item at the FCC's Dec. 21 meeting, he will need to circulate that item to the other commissioners by tomorrow (Dec. 1).
