BlackBerry CEO: It's unfair that Apple doesn't develop apps for us

[[126825]]

BlackBerry CEO John Chen took a different approach to the "net neutrality" discussion this week, declaring that Apple and streaming video service provider Netflix are violating the "net neutrality" principle because they have not developed applications for the BlackBerry platform.

Chen said Apple restricted iMessage applications to iOS, while Netflix did not develop applications for BlackBerry. He pointed out that BlackBerry Messenger and BES12 management software are currently available for multiple platforms, but "unfortunately, not all content and application providers adhere to the principles of openness and neutrality."

Netflix is ​​a staunch supporter of the principle of "net neutrality", but according to Chen Shouzong, the company "discriminates against BlackBerry users by refusing to provide them with its streaming movie service." In 2012, Netflix said it did not plan to develop applications for the BlackBerry platform, but said "plans may change." However, Netflix has not changed its plans so far.

Apple in general limits its software to iOS, though iTunes and iCloud are available on Windows.

Chen said the companies have created a "dual wireless broadband ecosystem" that gives iPhone and Android users access to more apps than BlackBerry or Windows Phone users. "This is the kind of discriminatory activity at the carrier level that net neutrality advocates have been criticizing," he said. "If we really want a free, open, non-discriminatory internet, net neutrality must be managed at the application and content level."

Typically, the debate over net neutrality focuses on Internet service providers, with advocates calling on them not to discriminate based on application. For example, an Internet service provider shouldn't allow a Hulu Plus video to load faster on a particular network than it does on Netflix.

There have been debates on specific applications before, but so far, proposals for "network neutrality" have not required Internet service providers or application developers to provide services on all platforms. However, Cheng Shouzong compared "network neutrality" to the development of the railway industry in the mid-20th century, pointing out that operators may be the builders of the "tracks" for traffic transmission, but they are not the controllers of the "track trains".

“If we really want an open internet, policymakers should demand neutrality not just at the flow and transport level of the ecosystem, but also at the content and application level,” he said. “Prohibiting operators from discriminating while allowing content and application providers to continue to do so is simply not going to solve the problem.”

At the same time, according to a draft bill proposed by Republican members of the U.S. Congress, the principle of "network neutrality" will be upheld, but at the same time it will leave room for Internet service providers, because the draft states that each of its regulations should be "subject to reasonable network management." However, the draft will also limit the measures that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can take in terms of "network neutrality", such as reclassifying broadband as a telecommunications service.

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing yesterday, where witnesses expressed concerns about stripping the Federal Communications Commission of its control.