DOJ: No to net neutrality

The Justice Department gave its stamp of approval to doing away with Net Neutrality Thursday. In response to an inquiry from the FCC, the Department cautioned against regulations that would "shift the entire burden of implementing costly network expansions and improvements onto consumers," TechNewsWorld reports.

In other words? ISPs should be able to charge extra fees for enhanced services.

"Consumers and the economy are benefiting from the innovative and dynamic nature of the Internet," said Thomas O. Barnett, assistant attorney general in charge of the Department's Antitrust Division. "Regulators should be careful not to impose regulations that could limit consumer choice and investment in broadband facilities."

DOJ said differentiated Internet service is essentially the same as the Post Office offering regular, 2nd day and overnight mail services.

"No one challenges the benefits to society of these differentiated products," the DoJ said in its filing. "Whether or not the same type of differentiated products and services will develop on the Internet should be determined by market forces, not regulatory intervention."

DOJ came down firmly on the side who argue legislation protecting net neutrality is the equivalent of putting new regulations on the Internet.

"Even assuming that a potential danger exists, the ambiguity of what conduct needs to be prohibited raises a real possibility that regulation would prohibit some conduct that is beneficial, while failing to stop other conduct that may be harmful," the DoJ said.

"The FCC should be highly skeptical of calls to substitute special economic regulation of the Internet for free and open competition enforced by the antitrust laws," it wrote. "Marketplace restrictions proposed by some proponents of 'net neutrality' could in fact prevent, rather than promote, optimal investment and innovation in the Internet, with significant negative effects for the economy and consumers."