Health IT companies have warned the FCC against applying any more net neutrality regulations, especially under Title II, to wireless broadband.
In a letter to the chairman and commissioners (http://www.ctia.org/docs/default-source/fcc-filings/ctia-net-neutrality-...), the heads of the Health IT Now Coalition, M-Health Regulatory Coalition, and Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance suggested that applying those regs could hurt mobile health products and services, which it points out is important to serving underserved medical populations with affordable health care.
"We submit this letter to caution the Commission against the unnecessary application of additional open Internet requirements, or of antiquated Title II common carrier regulations, to the vibrant wireless ecosystem," they wrote.
They argue that the field is new and developing and that additional limitations on mobile could inhibit investment and innovation.
As for a Title II approach to those limitations. "Regulatory and economic factors dictate against the imposition of a one-size-fits-all Title II common carrier regime on competitive and diverse mobile broadband services," they said.
Currently there is only a network practices transparency rule applied to wireless. The FCC in its first Open Internet order in 2010 did not apply no-blocking or discrimination rules pointing to the unique network management issues. But it said it would reserve the right to review that decision as the market developed. The market has taken off and the FCC is reviewing that decision this time around given mobile broadband as the choice for connection for a growing number of Web users.
