Commentary

ëThere will ultimately need to be some commercial agreements establishedí

A value proposition exists in effective management of bandwidth, and that in turn could lead to more applications and innovation on the Web and a better user experience. Speaking informally at a Citigroup Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference Jan. 10., Duane Ackerman, CEO of BellSouth, succinctly nailed the big problem enforced network neutrality would create ââ?¬â?? it would be a barrier to bandwidth-intensive services such as streaming high-definition video because it prohibit carriers from developing a revenue stream from efficient methods of network management, quality control and traffic prioritization. Telephony Online reported Ackerman’s remarks.

The issue of network neutrality comprises two subjects, [Ackerman] said: access and network management. On the first subject, he said, “We don’t want to block anyone’s access to a Website or change their experience.” On the subject of network management, which will become increasingly important as carriers such as BellSouth move deeper into the video market, telecom carriers will have to work with content providers as well as government agencies to establish workable solutions, he said. “There will ultimately need to be some commercial agreements established. Seldom can you deal with ubiquity without multiple revenue streams making that happen.” “I’m not sure we want to put it on the backs of consumers to make all this happen,” he added. “I believe there are ways to do this that are smart and good for the overall marketplace.”

That is, of course, unless the net neutrality crowd gets its way.