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Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 14:08:59 -0700
From: Thad Floryan <thad@thadlabs.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate 
Message-ID: <53A4A2EB.50907@thadlabs.com>

Today's (20-JUNE-2014) FAS' "Secrecy News" cites the following, among
many others, Congressional Research Service's (CRS) report entitled:

Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate, June 12, 2014:

http://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40616.pdf
331kB, 25 pages

Info about FAS and "Secrecy News" are at the end of this posting.

Two interesting items in the report are "Deep Packet Inspection" and
"Metered/Usage-Based Billing".  Here's the first part of the "Deep
Packet Inspection" section:

DEEP PACKET INSPECTION

The use of one management tool, deep packet inspection (DPI),
illustrates the complexity of the net neutrality debate.  DPI refers
to a network management technique that enables network operators to
inspect, in real time, both the header and the data field of the
packets.  As a result DPI can allow network operators to not only
identify the origin and destination points of the data packet, but
also enables the network operator to determine the application used
and content of that packet.

The information that DPI provides enables the network operator to
differentiate, or discriminate, among the packets travelling over its
network.  The ability to discriminate among packets enables the
network operator to treat packets differently.  This ability itself is
not necessarily viewed in a negative light.  Network managers use DPI
to assist them in performing various functions that are necessary for
network management and that contribute to a positive user experience.

For example, DPI technology is used in filters and firewalls to detect
and prevent spam, viruses, worms, and malware.  DPI is also used to
gain information to help plan network capacity and diagnostics, as
well as to respond to law enforcement requests.  However, the ability
to discriminate based on the information gained via DPI also has the
potential to be misused.

It is the potential negative impact that DPI use can have on consumers
and suppliers that raises concern for policy makers.  For example, the
information gained could be used to discriminate against a competing
service causing harm to both the competitor and consumer choice.  This
could be accomplished by routing a network operator's own, or other
preferred content, along a faster priority path, or selectively
slowing down competitor's traffic.  DPI also has the potential to
extract personal information about the data that it inspects,
generating concerns about consumer privacy.
[...]

{section continues on page 17 of the report}

+--------------------------------------------------------------+
"crs" = Congressional Research Service which produces documents for
the US Congress.

FAS =
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_American_Scientists

who provides for free all documentation the US Government doesn't want
its tax-paying citizens to see or know about including military manuals,
Department of State docs, Executive Orders, CRS reports, and much more.

Free "Secrecy News" here:

    The Secrecy News Blog is at:

http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/

    To SUBSCRIBE (email) to Secrecy News, go to:

http://blogs.fas.org/secrecy/subscribe/

    Secrecy News is archived at:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/index.html

Note the CRS website
http://www.crs.gov
is only reachable from a *.gov
or a *.mil connection.

Thad





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