Big cable companies, telco companies and internet content providers are taking part in discussions on the rules and regulations governing the internet going forward. Missing from the meeting: the FCC and public interest groups.
According to The Hill, NCTA, Verizon, AT&T, Skype, Microsoft, Cisco, and union Communications Workers of America have participated in the discussions.
Although not involved in discussions, the FCC said in a statement that it was pleased that talks were continuing.
Members of the Open Internet Coalition, including watchdogs like Free Press and companies such as Google and Facebook, were not involved. One watchdog criticized the talks, noting that negative reaction to news of recent talks between Verizon and Google shows that the public does not want the future of the internet to be brokered solely by the biggest stakeholders.
The talks are being held at the Information Technology Industry Council. A spokesman from ITIC said participants are working to achieve guidelines capable of garnering widespread support. Others say the exclusion of watchdogs makes the talks useless.
