VOA慢速英語: 美國政客爭論“網絡中立”

美國政客爭論“網絡中立”

Protesters demonstrate across the street from the Comcast Center Monday, Sept. 15, 2014, in Philadelphia calling for net neutrality. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Another political fight is taking shape in Washington, D.C. At issue: proposed changes to the way the Internet is regulated in the United States. One side wants rules to suspend plans to charge extra for some heavy users of the Internet. The other side says new rules will slow the economic growth fueled by online services. Both sides say their way of thinking will lead to continued innovation.

另一輪的政治斗爭在華盛頓特區(qū)上演，爭論的主題是：提議改變美國互聯(lián)網的管理體制。一方希望新規(guī)定暫停向一些過多使用互聯(lián)網的用戶索取額外的費用。另一方說新規(guī)定會因為在線服務而減緩經濟的增長。雙方都認為他們的想法會引領繼續(xù)革新。

Earlier this year, U.S. regulators proposed big changes in the way the Internet operates in the country. The Federal Communications Commission voted to offer a plan that could affect Internet service providers like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast. Under the plan, the service providers could make deals with companies like Google and Facebook to provide them with faster paths to get their content to consumers.

今年早些時候，美國互聯(lián)網管理人員提議國家的互聯(lián)網運作應該來次大的改變。美國聯(lián)邦通信委員會投票提出一項計劃，這項計劃會影響到互聯(lián)網服務供應商，如：美國電話電報公司、威瑞森無限公司和康卡斯特公司。這個計劃中，互聯(lián)網服務供應商可以與谷歌和臉書之類的公司簽訂協(xié)議，給它們提供更快捷的方式，讓消費者獲得他們公司的內容。

Some consumer groups and Internet companies oppose the plan. So do a majority of people questioned in a new University of Delaware study. President Barack Obama also dislikes the proposed changes. He spoke recently about how the Internet should be organized around ideas like openness, fairness and freedom.

一些消費者和互聯(lián)網公司反對該項計劃，很大一部分人對特拉華大學的最新一項調查研究提出疑問。奧巴馬也不喜歡提議提出的改變。他最近發(fā)表關于在開放、公正和自由的觀念基礎上，如何組織規(guī)劃互聯(lián)網的講話。

“Ever since the Internet was created, it has been organized around basic principles of openness, fairness and freedom. There are no gatekeepers deciding which sites you get to access, there are no toll roads on the information superhighway. This set of principles, the idea of net neutrality, has unleashed the power of the Internet and given innovators the chance to thrive. Abandoning these principles would end the Internet as we know it."

“自從因特網問世以來，遵循公開、公正和自由的原則。沒有人決定你能夠訪問哪個網站，在信息的高速道路上，沒有收費公路。這些基本原則和網絡的中立理念把互聯(lián)網的重要性釋放出來，同時也給革新人員機會去發(fā)展創(chuàng)新。如果放棄這些原則，將會終結我們所熟知的因特網。”

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent regulator. So President Obama cannot order the FCC to make changes. Last week, the President sought to persuade commission members to regulate consumer Internet services like a public utility.

美國聯(lián)邦通信委員會是一個獨立的管理者。因此，奧巴馬總統(tǒng)也不能命令其作出改變。上周，奧巴馬試圖說服委員會成員規(guī)范互聯(lián)網服務的消費者，如公用事業(yè)那樣做。

Harold Furchtgott-Roth is an economist and former FCC commissioner. He says the Internet adds hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy. He adds that new rules would be unnecessary and unwise.

哈羅德·弗奇戈特羅斯是一名經濟學家，同時也是聯(lián)邦通信委員會的前專員。他說因特網給美國經濟帶來了數(shù)千億美元的收入。而新規(guī)定既沒必要，也不明智。

"American online companies are the leading on-line companies in the world in practically every field. I think that is in part a result of our lighter regulatory approach relative to a lot of other countries."

“美國在線公司幾乎領導著世界各個領域的在線公司。我想其中的原因就是我們國家的互聯(lián)網管理方式比其他國家更少。”

He says proposals to govern the Internet as if it was a telephone company would interfere in many decisions, including pricing. He says those decisions should be made by people who operate the business.

他說提議管理互聯(lián)網就好像是電話公司干擾包括定價在內的很多決策一樣。這些決定應該由運行商來抉擇。

The former commissioner says even the threat of new rules is bad for the investments needed to support innovation on the Internet. Some Republican members of Congress and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are in agreement with Mr. Furchtgott-Roth. The Chamber of Commerce speaks for many major businesses.

聯(lián)邦通信委員會的前任專員說新規(guī)定的威脅對于支持互聯(lián)網創(chuàng)新的投資來說不是件好事。一些國會中共和黨的成員和美國商會的成員同意弗奇戈特羅斯的觀點。因為商會代表主要商業(yè)團體的利益。

The issue will likely be fought over by regulators, the courts and Congress.

對于互聯(lián)網變革的議案會繼續(xù)在聯(lián)邦通信委員會、法院和國會之間爭論。

I’m Jonathan Evans.

我是喬納森·伊凡斯。

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Words in this Story

economy – n. the system by which money, industry and

trade are organized

principle - n. a basic truth or theory; an idea that forms the basis of something

innovation – n. the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods

regulate – v. to bring something under the control of authority; to set or adjust the amount, degree, or rate of something