Net Neutrality

Earlier this week, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., warned that if the Comcast acquisition of NBC Universal went through, the company may pull NBC's programming from Netflix. Federal regulators approved the deal Tuesday.

Verizon Communications on Thursday filed a legal challenge against the new "net neutrality" rules the Federal Communications Commission adopted last month. Does Internet discrimination serve a purpose?

Comcast got an early Christmas present Thursday, when the Federal Communications Commission chairman approved its huge merger with NBC Universal. The proposal comes with conditions meant to protect net neutrality, but vagueness renders the terms nearly meaningless -- and unlikely to inspire much confidence.

In an historic 3-2 vote Tuesday, the FCC passed its long-awaited network neutrality order, the most sweeping attempt yet to address the way phone, cable and Internet companies interact when it comes to Internet traffic. But Congress or the courts could end up unraveling the FCC's work.

Comcast faces FCC involvement in its fee dispute with Level 3 Communications and a new Consumers Union campaign to block its pending acquisition of NBC Universal, but shareholders appear unfazed so far. Shares of the cable giant fell less than 1% Tuesday to close at $20.03.

In two separate complaints, Level 3 Communications and Zoom Telephonics are alleging that Comcast is using its position as the nation's largest cable service system to restrict the open nature of the Internet. Comcast has strongly disputed the Level 3 complaint.

One day after Congressional Republicans killed compromise legislation that would have protected net neutrality -- the principle that broadband providers shouldn't play favorites with Web content -- pressure has returned to the Federal Communications Commission to act on the issue.

Amid a fierce clash over the Net's next era, tech titans Google and Verizon crafted their own broadband policy plan and shined a light on what might be Washington's most ineffectual regulator -- the FCC. Unknown to many, Google and Verizon worked on that plan since fall of 2008.

The Texas AG is investigating Google for allegedly manipulating search results to hurt its competitors, which could be an antitrust violation. Three companies, two in the U.S. and one in the U.K., have all complained of Google search manipulation.

Lobbyists from some of the largest U.S. technology companies are meeting behind closed doors in Washington with telecom giants to discuss net neutrality, following the failed FCC talks and Google's bilateral deal with Verizon. No surprise, public interest groups weren't invited.