Google Inc. on Thursday strongly denied a report that said the search giant was close to an agreement with Verizon Communications Inc. that would allow the carrier to speed the delivery of online content to Internet users if content creators paid for the privilege.
The purported agreement, reported by the New York Times, would severely undercut the Internet tenet known as net neutrality, in which no form of content is favored over another. The Times suggested an agreement between Google and Verizon could lead to a new tiered system in which consumers pay more for premium levels of service.
“We remain as committed as we always have been to an open Internet,” said Google spokesperson Mistique Cano. “The New York Times is quite simply wrong. We have not had any conversations with Verizon about paying for carriage of Google or YouTube traffic.”
A New York Times spokesman declined to comment.
Google did not take issue with a Wall Street Journal story saying the two companies may soon announce an agreement they hope could be used as a model for legislation aimed at preventing telephone or cable companies from delaying or blocking Internet traffic.
Broadband providers say they need to be able to manage their networks so all customers get the best possible experience, which might involve slowing some traffic, such as e-mail, so other more timely traffic, such as phone calls, can get through.
Internet companies, on the other hand, have long opposed the idea of prioritized traffic because it could lead to additional costs, particularly for Web sites such as Google’s YouTube that generate huge amounts of Internet traffic.
Shares in Google were up 30 cents, at $506.62, midday Thursday.
