Now Hear This Electronic Newsletter, February 14, 2008 Posted
by Bob at 02/12/08 01:59 PM
A new bill has been introduced in Congress that could go a long way toward keeping the Internet open and unfettered by corporate gatekeepers.
The Internet Freedom Preservation Act (HR 5353) was introduced by Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS) earlier this week. Markey is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Click here to read the bill.
The proposed legislation would effectively enshrine the principle of “Network Neutrality” into law, making it a part of the landmark Communications Act of 1934. Network Neutrality refers to the idea that Internet providers should not be allowed to speed up or slow down Web content based on its source, ownership or destination.
The bill would task the Federal Communications Commission with the job of conducting an assessment of broadband practices and consumer rights. It would also require the FCC to hold eight broadband summits around the nation and to report back to Congress on its findings and any recommendations for further action.
"The goal of this bipartisan legislation is to assure consumers, content providers, and high tech innovators that the historic, open architecture nature of the Internet will be preserved and fostered,” said Markey in introducing the bill. “Individual citizens, civic groups, religious organizations, sporting clubs, trade associations, small business owners and others all have a stake in ensuring that broadband network providers keep their hands off the Internet and not degrade the ability of anybody to reach other citizens, to experiment and innovate, or to engage in free enterprise.”
This is the second time that Markey has attempted to get network neutrality legislation through Congress. His earlier effort died in the then Republican-controlled Congress in 2006, but not before it prompted howls of protest and an aggressive lobbying campaign to kill it by huge communications companies such as AT&T and Comcast.
This time around, Markey is taking a somewhat softer approach in that he is not seeking to establish the same sort of rigorous new regulations for the communications industry as his earlier network neutrality legislation effort.
"There are some who may wish to assert that this bill regulates the Internet,” said Markey. “It does no such thing. The bill contains no requirements for regulations on the Internet whatsoever. It does, however, suggest that the principles which have guided the Internet's development and expansion are highly worthy of retention, and it seeks to enshrine such principles in the law as guide stars for U.S. broadband policy.”
Consumers Union, the sponsor of this blog, strongly supports the new legislation, as do a whole host of other public interest groups.
On a related front, the FCC has announced plans to hold a public hearing on broadband network management practices in Boston on February 26th.
Although it might sound like a fairly dry topic, the practices of broadband network providers such as cable and telephone companies are already having an impact on millions of consumers who use the Internet.
For example, the Associated Press recently discovered that Comcast has been blocking or delaying the delivery of Internet traffic from BitTorrent, a popular person-to-person content sharing program. The recent publication of that investigation touched off a firestorm of protests from Internet users, privacy groups and a host of others.
As with Markey’s legislation, the question the FCC is expected to consider is just how far Internet service providers can go in controlling the billions of bits of data that continuously flow across their networks. Can providers block or delay certain content or, conversely, speed up the delivery of other content? Or do Internet service providers have an obligation to treat all legal content the same, no matter where it comes from?
We are hopeful the FCC will seriously consider these issues and aggressively pursue the public’s input. The Boston hearing is a nice first step, but the FCC only intends to hear from a panel of “experts” selected by the agency during that session.
Network neutrality has broad and fundamental implications on how Americans will be able to communicate with each other as the Internet becomes more and more a part of their daily lives. The FCC has an obligation to listen to the public about this issue, not just so-called “experts” handpicked by the agency.
Click here for more information on the Boston hearing.
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comments
(2)
1
Posted by Jack at 02/14/08 12:39 PM
I just wrote my congressman asking him to become a co-sponsor for this legislation. Thanks for keeping me informed.
2
Posted by David Phelps at 02/15/08 12:44 AM
For Freedom sake We need HR 5353
