You've certainly heard of net neutrality. Now John Chen, BlackBerry's CEO, is pushing what some are calling app neutrality.
In a blog post adapted from a letter sent to members of U.S. Congress, Chen puts forward an unorthodox and somewhat perplexing argument that net neutrality doesn't just mandate that Internet providers shouldn't prioritize and create a fast and slow lane for Internet traffic. Net neutrality, Chen argues, should also mandate that app developers not prioritize or discriminate against operating systems like, say, BlackBerry's.
"If we are truly to have an open Internet, policymakers should demand openness not just at the traffic/transport layer, but also at the content/applications layer of the ecosystem," Chen writes.
Then Chen really digs in: He suggests that Apple and Netflix are violating the principles of net neutrality by not making their applications available on BlackBerry's platform.
Unlike BlackBerry, which allows iPhone users to download and use our BBM service, Apple does not allow BlackBerry or Android users to download Apple’s iMessage messaging service. Netflix, which has forcefully advocated for carrier neutrality, has discriminated against BlackBerry customers by refusing to make its streaming movie service available to them. Many other applications providers similarly offer service only to iPhone and Android users. This dynamic has created a two-tiered wireless broadband ecosystem, in which iPhone and Android users are able to access far more content and applications than customers using devices running other operating systems. These are precisely the sort of discriminatory practices that neutrality advocates have criticized at the carrier level.
It's no secret that BlackBerry has far fewer apps than competitors Apple and Google's Android. Many big name applications, like Netflix and Instagram, are also missing from BlackBerry devices.
Chen's suggestion elicited more than a few exasperated responses from the tech community on Wednesday night:
Wow. "Therefore, neutrality must be mandated at the application layer." http://t.co/qUG1FyyfgN— Marc Andreessen (@pmarca) January 22, 2015
I think it is now safe to say that BlackBerry CEO John Chen is completely insane. http://t.co/fxiBm4igXp pic.twitter.com/1Hpo5h9Yte— nilay patel (@reckless) January 22, 2015
This is where BlackBerry CEO calls for app neutrality. Insane. http://t.co/zPB7PKOiQR— Christina Warren (@film_girl) January 22, 2015
BONUS: What Is Net Neutrality?