FCC ends talks on net regulation

United States regulators ended closed-door discussions with companies on internet regulation after Google and Verizon Communications were said to have reached their own deal.

The talks, which drew criticism for their secrecy, haven’t “generated a robust framework to preserve the openness and freedom of the internet,” Edward Lazarus, chief of staff of the Federal Communications Commission, said yesterday in a statement.

At issue was the FCC’s power over providers of internet service and whether phone and cable companies may favour some web traffic, such as speeding certain videos in return for payment. Among participants were AT&T, Verizon, Google, Skype Technologies, and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, representing companies led by Comcast Corp and Time Warner Cable.

“We’re relieved to see that the FCC now apparently finds dangerous side deals from companies like Verizon and Google to be distasteful and unproductive,” Derek Turner, research director of the Washington-based advocacy group Free Press, said in an e-mailed statement. “The corporate deal-making and the closed-door meetings have generated widespread public outrage.”

Verizon, the second-biggest US phone company, and Google, owner of the largest internet search engine, reached their own agreement on network rules as the federal talks were under way, two people briefed on the discussions said on August 4.

The compromise would restrict Verizon from selectively slowing internet content that travels over its wires.