Pro Net Neutrality Documents NETWORK NEUTRALITY - What they're saying San Francisco Chronicle June 18, 2006 Article Link AT&T Chairman Edward Whitacre Jr. kicked off the network neutrality debate last fall when he told BusinessWeek: "We and the cable companies have made an investment, and for a Google or Yahoo or Vonage or anybody to expect to use these pipes (for) free is nuts!" Josh Felser, chief executive of Grouper Networks, an online video service in Sausalito, fears that new tolls could be the death of startups like his. The extra fees to send videos more quickly to users across the Internet would drain his Sausalito company's bank account, he said. But not paying could be even costlier: Users may flee to rival Web sites for speedier downloads. "This will certainly disadvantage the smaller companies that can't afford to pay the fees." H. Gordon Diamond, an AT&T spokesman, believes building out certain portions of the Internet -- using the funds the company will collect from new fees -- will foster innovation. "It's our position that startups will have even more opportunity to develop new products and innovations as the billion-dollar investments being made by AT&T and others improve the Internet for everyone." Google CEO Eric Schmidt fears that future entrepreneurs may be stifled by tiered pricing on the Internet. "Companies that are large and successful and have lots of cash like Google can pay these fees. But what about the next two people who come out of a Stanford garage?" Tony Hsieh, chief executive of online shoe retailer Zappos.com in Las Vegas, said he would gladly pay more so that users could download his Web site faster, as long as the price is right. "If it's an extra dollar a month, sign me up. But if it's an extra million a month, then don't." Adam Green, a spokesman for MoveOn.org Civic Action, a liberal activist group, said that creating a faster lane online is a barrier to democracy and could result in political censorship. His organization uses the Web to mobilize voters to contact their members of Congress on a range of issues, for example, and he expects that online video will play an increasingly important role. "We don't mind paying our fair share. But are we going to empower the Internet gatekeepers to put some sites in the slow lane?" Tom Conrad, chief technology officer for Pandora Media, an Oakland company that offers personalized online radio channels, said telecoms are making a big mistake by pressing for a tiered Internet. Broadband subscriptions, a big business for the telecoms, depend on it, he said. The only reason consumers pay their monthly high-speed connection fees is to get access to compelling online content. "If you log on and you can't get access to what you enjoy, you're going to rise up."