A telecommunications research firm has asked the Federal Communications Commission to encourage "preferential treatment" for companies that offer VoIP and gaming services over the Internet.

TelecomView's filing with the FCC's proceeding on broadband non-discrimination, popularly known as "net neutrality," says that the discussion has "lacked rigor." The firm argues that some high speed offerings, especially VoIP (Internet phone service), should be permitted to provide "priority" service over AT&T's broadband system.

"One of the questions in this inquiry is whether or not all packets on an Internet service should receive equal treatment," the statement contends. "TelecomView believes that the answer to this is no, that there should be service differentiation that gives the packets for some services higher priority over other services."

TelecomView's Robert Larribeau, Jr. submitted the comments in response to the FCC's Notice of Inquiry on the net neutrality question. The FCC posted them on May 29th. The agency launched its net neutrality proceeding on April 16th, with a comment deadline set for June 15th.

All digital data travels across the Internet in small packets that computer hosts reassemble at the point of destination. TelecomView's filing argues that while older Internet protocols such as transferring files, email, and Web pages have a "high tolerance" for errors and delays, VoIP and gaming services do not.

"Network problems that would not be noticeable with web browsing could cause noise or some other defect in a phone call," the filing contends. And delays in online network games can cause players to lose their contest, or make it harder to access a "turbo" button option that, at an additional charge, speeds up their broadband connection.

The statement emphasizes that no company, especially AT&T, should receive preferential treatment—only certain kinds of services that "require a higher level of packet delivery performance."

"This means that Vonage, Packet8, and Verizon should be able to provide priority treatment for their VoIP services delivered over AT&T’s broadband network and that AT&T should not be able to provide this preferential service only for its own VoIP service," TelecomView says.

The filing appears to recommend a kind of two-tier Internet in which companies that provide "best efforts" services, such as email, filing transferring, and Web access, enjoy equal treatment with each other. VoIP and online game providers will receive equal treatment with each other as well, but at a higher level of priority than email, file transfers, and the Web.

"These differentiated services should not significantly reduce the quality of traditional, best efforts Internet traffic," TelecomView's comments conclude. "Access to these differentiated services should be available to all service providers on an equal, non discriminatory basis, at a reasonable price."