May 9th, 2008
Another net neutrality bill, in a Comcast-charged atmosphere
The latest net neutrality bill, offered by Reps. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), is a second try to treat neutrality as an antitrust issue, Ars Technica says. It’s essentially the same bill that failed in 2006.
The bill is intended to “promote competition, to facilitate trade, and to ensure competitive and non-discriminatory access to the Internet.”
It does so by outlawing discriminatory fees for providing content, applications, or services over the Net. Internet providers also have to interact fully with the networks of their competitors and provide equal access to all users and any devices they wish to put on the network. Network providers would be allowed to provide favored service to specific types of data but, if they do, they have to provide that same favoritism to anybody transmitting the data, and couldn’t charge for it.
Verizon is against it, says Reuters.
“Broadband deployment is a bright spot in the U.S. economy that provides high paying jobs, unprecedented infrastructure investment, and innovation. Why would Congress want to jeopardize all that with this bill?” spokesman David Fish said.
Free Press favors it. Policy director Ben Scott:
We applaud Chairman Conyers and Representative Lofgren for their leadership and commitment to the public interest on this critical issue. The Internet is the greatest engine of free speech and commerce since the printing press. The future of the Internet as we know it depends on maintaining the freedom and openness online that we have always enjoyed. Congress must step in to defend the open Internet.
There’s also the Markey bill. So, what are the odds of some bill passing the House? The atmosphere has completely changed on this issue since ‘06. The biggest change is the Comcast fiasco and the widespread consumer outrage in engendered. The FCC has still not taken any action regarding Comcast but even Republican Martin has been snarling and threatening some sort of action. So the air is right for Congress to act on this.
In addition, you have the 700MHz spectrum auction won by Verizon and a whole lot of happy talk about openness. So I think the odds are significantly better than the last time around. Of course this is the same House that is about to pass the Pro IP Act and appoint a copyright czar to the White House.
