2 EDITORIAL

May-June 2015 ( volume 32 issue 4 )

EDITORIAL

deputy editor Shawn Liew , shawn @ editecintl . com

contributing editor Millette Manalo-Burgos , millette @ editecintl . com

contributing editor ( technology ) Karl K Rossiter , karl @ editecintl . com

reporter Kamarul Arifin Abdul Hafiz , kamarul @ editecintl . com

In a landmark ruling , the US Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ) has voted in favour of regulating broadband Internet in the US as a public utility .

Among the provisions of the FCC ruling , Internet Service Providers ( ISPs ) that carry and deliver online content to end-users cannot create “ fast lanes ” for content providers that pay extra for prioritisation . Also prohibited are the blocking and “ throttling ”, or slowing down , of lawful content and services .

Naturally , the FCC ruling has not been met with universal approval . A US broadband service provider , who filed lawsuits against the FCC , decried the FCC ruling as “ encumbering broadband Internet services with badly antiquated regulations ”, and “ presages a time of uncertainty ” for consumers , innovators and investors .

“ Net neutrality ”, a term coined by Columbia University law professor Tim Wu as far back as 2003 , is the principle that Internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the Internet equally , and not discriminate or charging differentially by user , content , site , platform , application , type of attached equipment , or mode of communication .

How then , does net neutrality potentially impact broadcasters ?

In simplistic terms , an ISP could potentially provide preferential treatment for one online service over another , through the slowing down of specific feeds , or the complete blocking of sites , as seen in China with the likes of YouTube , Facebook and Twitter .

The waters become even muddier when the ISP itself owns TV stations , broadcast services and videoon-demand services . If the carrier offers competitive services and allocates itself the needed bandwidth , would that be interpreted as preferential treatment for its own services , while throttling everyone else ’ s ? asked Joe Igoe , CTO of Singapore terrestrial broadcaster MediaCorp .

In Asia-Pacific , as broadcasters embrace the inevitability of offering over-the-top ( OTT ) to viewers , net neutrality provides an essential route for traditional broadcasters to reach and connect with their

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audiences , according to Dr Amal Punchihewa , director of technology at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union ( ABU ). At the very least , net neutrality provides a more level playing field against video streaming service providers such as Google and Netflix .

Having said that , it is no secret that these very same companies run dedicated computer servers within ISPs . Google , for example , sets up routers inside many of the same data centres used by ISPs , so that traffic could move directly from Google ’ s data centres to Web surfers .

Perhaps , the day will come when the amount of broadcast content available over the Internet , coupled with the scarcity of bandwidth , will necessitate further debate in the broadcast industry on the true impact of net neutrality .

In the meantime , broadcasters in Asia-Pacific may not see net neutrality as a pertinent issue yet , suggested Dr Amal , because the general consensus is that audiences in the region still prefer to watch long-form TV over terrestrial and / or satellite .

However , as media consumption continues to gravitate towards OTT , multi-screen services , it may be worth paying attention to developments in the US . The FCC ruling , whether it passes through the US Congress or not , is likely to focus attention on the need to craft pragmatic net neutrality policies around the world .

And as we now live and compete in the ‘ World of Digital Disruption ’, it is critical that broadcasters should engage their regulators as early as possible on how best they can enshrine net neutrality as a cornerstone in policies governing the broadcast media in the not-too-distant future .

SHAWN LIEW DEPUTY EDITOR

CORRESPONDENTS

■ Singapore Richard Seah , richard _ seah @ singnet . com . sg

■ China Vicky Liao , liaoxk16 @ vip . sina . com

■ India Shirish Nadkarni , shinads @ yahoo . co . uk

■ USA Mike Feazel , mfeazel @ gmail . com

PRODUCTION production editor Zuraini Ridzwan , zuraini @ editecintl . com

sub-editor Samantha Ann Francis , samantha @ editecintl . com

multimedia designer Raymund Jaudian , raymund @ editecintl . com

ad / office administrator Irene Lok , irene @ editecintl . com

accounts executive Tan Hui Min , huimin @ editecintl . com

MARKETING manager - sales & marketing Lynn Chee , lynn @ editecintl . com manager - sales & marketing Sean Chen , sean @ editecintl . com

CIRCULATION manager Ho Siew Mun , siewmun @ editecintl . com

PUBLISHING associate publisher Kristy Tan , kristy @ editecintl . com

publisher / editorial director Andrew Yeo , andrew @ editecintl . com

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