Vuze Applauds FCC in Setting Traffic-Throttling Hearing
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
PALO ALTO, CA -- Vuze, the rapidly growing online entertainment platform, with an installed base of 20 million client downloads, applauds FCC Chairman Kevin Martin for setting a public hearing to receive testimony on the Internet throttling practices of network operators. This hearing comes on the heels of Vuze’s “Petition for Rulemaking” filed last November asking the FCC to clarify what constitutes “reasonable network management” on the part of network operators. Since that time, numerous consumer organizations and more than 28,000 individuals have gone on public record in support of the Vuze Petition. More comments are expected by the February 13 official FCC comment deadline.
"Our industry needs transparency, standardization, and a healthy dose of innovation if it is to deliver on the demands of the 21st century consumer. This hearing elevates the debate on traffic throttling, and represents an important step on the path to building the Internet of the future.” said Gilles BianRosa, CEO of Vuze, Inc. “Network operators have been less than transparent about their ‘network management practices’. The upcoming hearing presents an opportunity for ISPs to provide detailed and forthright explanations of what they are actually doing."
About the Petition
On November 14, 2007, Vuze filed a Petition for Rulemaking requesting that the FCC initiate a proceeding to clarify what constitutes “‘reasonable network management” by broadband network operators and to establish that such network management does not permit network operators to block, degrade or unreasonably discriminate against lawful Internet applications, content or technologies,” as used in the Commission’s Internet Policy Statement. The Petition also asked for rules requiring transparency in network management practices, to the benefit of industry and consumers. The goal of the Vuze Petition is to create an industry-wide dialogue that leads to concrete rules that clarify the boundaries of permissible network practices. To be fully effective, such rules also require transparency in network management practices. “With the rapid convergence of the entertainment and Internet industries, we believe that engaging the FCC to create a set of enforceable ground rules is the most constructive approach to settling the question of ‘traffic throttling’ or ‘traffic shaping,’” said BianRosa. “As a leader in the IPTV space, we simply hope to help set the stage for a constructive dialogue and regulations that will settle these hotly contested issues and preserve a quality Internet experience for all.”
About Vuze
With an installed base of 20 million, and 2.1 million new client downloads every month, Vuze is the world’s fastest growing and most innovative online entertainment brand. Millions of people around the world turn to Vuze everyday to discover and experience high-quality content from an ever-growing list of content providers ranging from global television networks to maverick content creators. Vuze, Inc. is headquartered in Palo Alto, with offices in Los Angeles and New York.