Fergie's Tech Blog

Network Neutrality: Qwest CEO Supports 'Tiered-Internet'

The chief executive of U.S. phone company Qwest said Wednesday he supports making Internet portals and content providers pay for bandwidth provided by companies like his, rejecting the notion that the Net is a neutral zone where customers shouldn’t be charged for carriage.

Speaking at a VoIP convention in San Jose, California, Richard Notebaert said the communications industry has always rented bigger pipes to those wishing to pay for them and that charging customers for more bandwidth is the way the industry works.

“A content provider is a customer. If they want to buy [bandwidth], we want to sell,” said Mr. Notebaert at the VON conference. “If they don’t want to buy, they don’t have to.”

posted by Fergie @ 3/15/2006 04:08:00 PM