It just completely underscores the case that the government needs to do its job and quit pretending that corporate forces will do the government's work. Sten and other activists, coalescing around a group called the OpenNET coalition, have long argued that the Federal Communications Commission should enforce open access. But FCC Chairman William E. Kennard has said new regulations might slow the deployment of high-speed Internet service. Moreover, Kennard points out that cable has competition for high-speed access from DSL, a service that runs over phone lines. AOL remains a member of OpenNET, Vradenburg said, despite its new faith in the marketplace, but a philosophical breach with its partners has become clear.
Time passes and the marketplace has moved on.
Yesterday, Vradenburg said an open-access requirement would be unnecessary for AOL's deal with Time Warner. Andrew Schwartzman, president of the Media Access Project, a consumer advocacy law firm, said AOL's change was disappointing. The consequences of trying to do a 180 on this will be huge and will undermine their credibility. Staff writer Ariana Eunjung Cha contributed to this report.