经济学人精读 The Economist [40]
选自 December 23 2017 Business 商业版块
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Internet regulation[网络管理]
Net wars[网络战争]
事件背景：
美国当地时间12月14号，美国联邦通信委员会投票废除了“网络中立”的规定，这一举动得到了网络服务提供商，共和党议员和白宫的支持，但却引起了消费者团体，互联网科技公司和民主党议员的强烈抗议。
“网络中立”是什么？
“网络中立”的规定始于2015年奥巴马执政期间的政策。这个政策禁止互联网的“付费优先权”，也就是禁止网络服务提供商在收取内容提供商（例如视频网站）更高的费用后，为其提供更高质量的宽带服务（也就是竞争优势）。通过这种手段确保所有合法的网络内容能以相同的速度载入，使小型互联网科技公司也能在与互联网大公司竞争时有相对公平的舞台。
“网络中立”的废除不但取消了对互联网供应商封锁网站的限制，也取消了对互联网内容提供商收费的限制，同时禁止各州采取与联邦通信委员会不同的规章政策。
——摘自新浪新闻
The FCC stirs the pot on net neutrality[联邦]
A day before the Federal CommunicationsCommission[联邦通信委员会] (FCC) voted to rescind[废除]“net neutrality” regulations designed to ensure that internet-service providers do nothing to favour some types of online content over others, Ajit Pai, its chairman, tweeted a short video reassuring[消除疑虑，使安心] Americans[“网络中立”制度是为确保网络服务提供商在网络内容的类型上没有偏向，在FCC投票废除“网络中立”制度的前一天，Ajit Pai，FCC的主席，推特了一个短视频让美国民众安心]. “You can still post photos of cute animals,” he says in it, posing with a dog[“你仍旧可以发可爱动物的照片”他在推特中说，并发了一张狗的照片]. He also wields[挥舞]a light sabre[光剑], which promptedMark Hamill, the actor who portrays LukeSkywalker in the “Star Wars” films, to criticise Mr Pai on Twitter for siding with[支持，站在（某人）一边] giant corporations[他在推特中挥舞着一个光剑，促使在“星球大战”电影中塑造Luke Skywalker（卢克天行者）的演员Mark Hamill在推特中批评Mr Pai支持大型企业]. TedCruz, a Republican senator, then asserted[宣称] in Mr Pai’s defence that Darth Vader[也叫Anakin Skywalker阿纳金天行者，星球大战中的一个角色] supported government regulation of the web; further jabs followed[Ted Cruz, 一个共和党参议员之后在为Mr Pai的辩护中宣称，Darth Vader支持政府对网络的管理，紧接着是更进一步的辩护]. It made for[导致] a silly treatment of an arcane[晦涩难解的]subject[这是对一个隐晦问题的愚蠢的处理方式]. But net neutrality is a seriousbusiness[但是网络中立是件严肃的事情].
The state of New York’s attorney-general said he would lead a multi-state suit against theFCC[纽约州总检察长说他将带领多个州起诉FCC]; in Congress Democrats and Republicans are expected to propose competing bills on the subject in 2018[国会民主党人和共和党人预计在2018年会就此主题提出竞争性议案]. Broadband and wireless companies such as AT&T responded to fears about their increased power by questioning whether internet firms like Google have too much[像AT&T这样的宽带和无线公司担忧他们实力的增长，并怀疑像谷歌这样的互联网公司的担忧是否会更太多]. Google, Facebook, Amazon and other platform companies in turn put out statements in support of an open internet[谷歌，脸书，亚马逊和其他平台公司也发布声明，支持开放的网络]. So rather than end the struggle over how the internet is regulated in America, the FCC’s vote has intensifiedit[因此，FCC的投票并没有结束美国在网络管理上的痛处，而是激化了这一问题].
It may be years before it becomes clear what is at stake[有风险][在弄清楚哪些内容有风险之前还需要好几年的时间]. TheFCC’s action, taken on December 14th in a 3-2 vote with Republican members forming the majority, rollsback[削弱] regulations adopted by the same body in 2015when Democrats were in charge[FCC的决定，在12月14日以3-2共和党成员占大多数的结果，削弱了2015年民主党管理期间在同一问题上的规定]. The old rules were designed to ensure that all content online would be treated equally by companies such as Comcast and AT&T[旧的规则是为确保网络上的所有内容被像Comcast和AT&T这样的公司平等对待].These would be prevented from slowing down or “throttling[阻挡，压制，扼杀]” a service like Netflix and instead giving priority to another competingservice[这样可以阻止减少或者“压制”像Netflix这样的服务，而优先其他竞争性服务].
Democratic officials, consumer activists and big internet firms argue that consumers will now experience different internets based on which broadband or wireless provider they use[民主党官员，消费者维权人士，和大型互联网公司认为，消费者将基于他们使用的宽带和无线网络提供商而体验不同的互联网]. If a service pays for faster access on a provider, which is called“paid prioritisation”, more consumers may see it[如果一项服务向网络提供商支付了更快的可达性，也就是“支付优先“，更多的消费者就能看到这项服务]; if another service does not pay, consumers may not come across it[如果另一项服务没有支付这个费用，那么消费者可能就看不到它]. Many cite the case of AT&T, which is trying to buy Time Warner, warning that HBO, a premium cable channel, could in future get into a “fast lane”[很多人士引用正试图收购时代华纳的AT&T的案例，有征兆显示，HBO，一个高端电视频道，在将来可能进入AT&T的“快速通道”]. Some critics go much further, arguing that internet providers will in effect censor content they do not like[一些评论家想的更远，认为网络提供商事实上将会感应到他们不喜欢的内容].
Republicans note that if internet providers abuse their power, they will be punished by another regulatory body, the Federal Trade Commission (though its scope for taking action is much narrower than the FCC’s)[共和党人注意到，如果网络供应商滥用权力，他们将被另一个监管机构惩罚，联邦商务委员会（尽管它的管控范围比FCC小）]. Thetelecoms giants also argue that freeing them from regulation will encourage much-needed investment in broadband and wireless infrastructure[电信巨头公司认为，让他们摆脱约束将会鼓励更多在宽带和网络设施基础建设上急需的投资].In the short run, says Kevin Werbach, a former FCC lawyer who backs net neutrality regulation, firms such as AT&T and Verizon “get that there’s this backlash[强烈反响，强烈反对] so the industry is not going to intentionally be so stupid as to realise the worst fears that are out there.[在短期内，KW，支持网络中立制度的FCC前任律师，说，像AT&T和Verizon这样的公司都会明白这么做会带来强烈反响，因此他们不会故意做傻事，已经意识到了最让人担忧的问题]” If they are caught throttling rival services, they will rile[激怒] consumers[如果他们被发现压制竞争服务，他们将激怒消费者]. If they raise prices on popular ones, they will lose customers (where there is a choice, that is— many broadband providers enjoy regional monopolies; see chart)[如果他们提升受欢迎服务的价格，他们将失去消费者（这是有选择余地的，许多宽带提供商很享受区域性垄断；见图表）]. If they move quickly to build “fast lanes” or “slow lanes”, they will hand ammunition to Democrats in Congress who support tough regulation[如果他们在“快速通道”和“慢速通道”快速移动，他们就把火药递到了国会民主党人的手中，他们支持更严格的管理]. For now, then, telecoms giants are likely to concentrate on ensuring that, if Congress does legislate on the issue, softer regulations prevail[占优势][就现在而言，电信巨头公司更有可能将注意力集中在，如果国会要在这件事情上立法，他们要确保宽松政策占优势].
20171229 613 words
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