By John Glenday

US president Barack Obama is set for a showdown with cable and telecoms providers as federal regulators prepare to introduce new rules banning the use of paid ‘fast lanes’.

Dubbed ‘net neutrality’ the new rules would classify internet provision as a utility in the same fashion as water, electricity and phone services, ensuring that everyone receives an equal service irrespective of their ability to pay.

Disagreements over the principle have emerged amidst the growing popularity of bandwidth heavy services such as Netflix, which benefit disproportionately from the billions of dollars invested by internet service providers in building internet infrastructure.

At issue is whether Read full story ›

Source: The Drum