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Net Neutrality Gets Its Day In Congress

By Martin H. Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.com

June 8, 2006

Net Neutrality • Internet Providers Ponder Bandwidth Limits For Heavy Users • Comcast, Cox Caught Blocking BitTorrent • Will Antitrust Law Save Net Neutrality? • Few Are Neutral in Net Neutrality Battles • Net Neutrality Supporters Testify • Comcast Blocks Public From FCC Hearing • Congress Gets Net Neutrality Legislation • Time Warner To Test Metered Pricing For Broadband • House Committee To Probe FCC • FCC To Investigate Comcast For Blocking Net Traffic • Verizon Wireless Opens Network to All Devices, Software • Comcast Sued Over Internet Blocking • Verizon Overrides Internet Searches With Its Own Results • Comcast Blocks Subscribers From Some Services • Verizon's Abortion Block Raises Net Neutrality Concerns • FTC Nixes Net Neutrality • Wireless Spectrum May Hold Key To Net Neutrality • Telcos Lift Block On FreeConference.Com • FCC Takes Another Look at Net Neutrality • AT&T Blocks Calls To Competing Conference Call Service • Study: Ending Net Neutrality Would Hurt Consumers • FCC, FTC Challenged To Protect Net Neutrality • Net Neutrality Back on Congress' Agenda • Net Neutrality Opponents Step Up PR Blitz • AT&T Trumpets New TV Service • Verizon Joins BellSouth in Retreat From Unexplained New DSL Fee • FCC Nudges BellSouth Into Giving Up New DSL Fees • FTC Head Urges "Caution" On Net Neutrality • Net Neutrality May Derail Telecom Bill • Google: No Net Neutrality Means Antitrust Fight • Senate Prepares for Net Neutrality Showdown • Congress Moves Quickly To Satisfy Telecoms' Net Neutrality, Cable Entry Demands • Net Neutrality Gets Its Day In Congress • Net Neutrality Wins Committee Vote In Congress • Net Neutrality Attracts Surprising Allies • Congress Wrestles with Net Neutrality

The House of Representatives is preparing for a vote on sweeping new telecommunications legislation, and supporters of net neutrality have been given a chance to add protections against blocking Internet content to the bill.

At the same time, sponsors of the Senate's version of the bill are preparing to add their own protections for net neutrality to the legislation, after extensive public campaigning and media attention brought the issue to the forefront.

Both bills must pass their respective branches and be reconciled before the final product can be signed into law.

The House Rules Committee, which controls the advancement of legislation to the House for a full vote, voted late on June 7th to allow the Communications, Promotion, and Opportunity Enhancement (COPE) Act to proceed, and to allow amendments to be offered that would prohibit the blocking of or discriminating against Internet content by network service providers.

The Rules Committee approved an amendment by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) that mandates telecom and cable companies "not to block, impair, degrade, discriminate against, or interfere with the ability of any person to use a broadband connection to access…services over the Internet."

Markey had previously tried twice to get protections for net neutrality inserted into the COPE Act, but was defeated. He then introduced the amendment as a separate bill, the "Network Neutrality Act of 2006."

The Rules Committee chose not to consider another piece of pro-net neutrality legislation, co-authored by Judiciary Committee James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), for amendment consideration. The Sensenbrenner bill passed the Judiciary Committee 20-13, after Sensenbrenner claimed that concerns about networks controlling access to content fell under antitrust law, which his committee oversees.

The COPE Act currently places authority for investigating disputes over Internet access in the hands of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

FCC chair Kevin Martin, a former telecommunications lobbyist, has openly said that he was against making laws for problems that he felt could be solved by the market, and that the legislation might stifle competition.

Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Stevens (R-AK) said on June 7th that he was planning to release a revised version of the telecommunications bill because "many members do not believe that the (Net neutrality) provision in the existing bill goes far enough."

Stevens was working with the committee's ranking minority member, Daniel Inouye (D-HI) to address the issue more comprehensively. Inouye had previously stated he had "numerous, substantive objections to the bill in its current form."

Several Senators, including Hillary Clinton (D-NY), have thrown their support behind a bill offered by Senators Olympia Snowe (R-MI) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) that would codify principles of equal and unfettered access to Internet content into law.

Both the House and the Senate moves are in response to a massive public campaign conducted by an alliance of grassroots organizations and tech companies that favor net neutrality. The "Save The Internet" coalition, representing a diverse range of musicians, special interest groups, bloggers, and others, has delivered almost 800,000 petition signatures to Congress in favor of net neutrality.

Sergey Brin, co-founder of search engine behemoth Google, met with members of the Commerce Committee to explain the importance of net neutrality for promoting Internet commerce, and why promoting multiple levels of paid service -- as the telecom companies want to do -- would ultimately harm the consumer.

eBay CEO Meg Whitman took the unusual step of personally e-mailing the auction site's users to ask their support for promoting net neutrality protections. eBay claimed the e-mail reached over a million users.

"The telephone and cable companies in control of internet access are trying to use their enormous political muscle to dramatically change the Internet," Whitman wrote. "It might be hard to believe but lawmakers in Washington are seriously debating whether consumers should be free to use the internet as they want in the future."

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