Robb Topolski

Washington, D.C. -- Today, four consumer and public interest groups sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission seeking clarity regarding Net Neutrality. In the letter, the groups express strong concern with a statement made last week by a senior commission official that the FCC would allow the speeding up or slowing down of applications like video or voice as part of "reasonable network management" -- a sentiment that appears to prejudge the outcome before the FCC completes its rulemaking… more

Application bias, the practice by network operators of placing applications into tiers of low and high priority and enforcing this prioritization through mechanisms in the middle of the network, poses hidden harms for the Internet that substantially outweigh its uncertain benefits.  Application bias degrades low priority applications, decreases overall network performance, and locks the Internet into typical usage patterns of 2009, frustrating both consumer choice and Internet innovation.  At the same time, the biggest hurdle to offering more powerful services… more

Chairman Julius Genachowski Federal Communications Commission 445 Twelfth Street, SW Washington, DC 20554

November 9, 2009

Dear Chairman Genachowski,

... have always been open and nondiscriminatory, added Robb Topolski, chief technologist for the Open Technology Initiative of the New America Foundation. ...

The words "manage the traffic" are anathema to someone like Robb Topolski. He's the guy who discovered that Comcast, a cable Internet service provider, ...

The Open Technology Initiative of the New America Foundation is calling for Truth-in-Labeling by our nation's broadband operators. Drawn from similar useful disclosure requirements by lenders, these Broadband Truth-in-Labeling disclosure standards will give the marketplace a much-needed tool that clarifies and adds meaning to the terms and conditions of the service being offered. 

Washington, DC--Today, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced his intention to pursue concrete Network Neutrality policies and rules governing American's Connections to the Internet.

Determining an appropriate definition of broadband is a critical part of the Commission's development of a National Broadband Plan. An appropriate definition is essential not only for establishing "what is broadband" and "where is it available," but also for shaping the future trajectory of telecommunications innovation in the United States.  The Open Technology Initiative of the New America Foundation makes the following recommendations for the Commission to consider in defining broadband:  

Robb Topolski said that device portability was holding back the wireless network in Portland, Oregon. ”They have a Clearwire service. ...

...Markham Erickson, Jacob Glick, Marvin Ammori and Robb Topolski of the Open Internet Coalition argued that innovation could be stifled by practices such as throttling...