In the article “Net neutrality proposal revived in Senate” by Anne Broache by CNET News. Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe and North Dakota Democrat Senator Byron Dorgan are teaming up to reintroduce an identical version of their Internet Freedom Preservation Act bill which died in the Senate last year. It takes another step towards ensuring the fate of the internet lies in the hands of the users and not the gatekeepers in a statement said by Snowe. This idea was brought on when network operators such as AT&T and Verizon prioritized content or services that traveled in their pipes. It’s like charging Youtube extra fees to be delivered faster than some other site.
Once a low profile issue that catapulted into the public when telecommunications executives said they had the right to charge extra fees for premium placement in their networks for their vast investments in infrastructure.
Reaction to this was extremely negative as Internet companies, consumer groups and other high profile backers such as Vint Cerf and Alyssa Milano. They mounted a campaign that laid the grassroots calling for federal regulations barring this practice. It threatens the freedom of the users that they have always enjoyed on the internet. Opponents say that there is no such thing as discrimination on the internet and the new rules would stifle innovation.
The duo legislation of Snowe and Dorgan barred network operators from blocking or degrading access to Internet content and services, and from preventing consumers from connecting external devices to the network, with some exceptions of course for security and other consumer protection purposes.
The bill would allow prioritization of content, applications or services only if it is done for all types of that particular content, application or service and without a fee. It also delves outside of Net neutrality and proposes that all broadband companies must offer customers the option of purchasing standalone broadband service. The FCC would enforce any complaints derived from the bill’s obligations.
The action by the Senate comes at the heels of an FCC decision to accept Net neutrality conditions offered by AT&T on its merger with BellSouth. AT&T maintained that it offered the concessions to break partisan deadlock over the deal’s approval and continues to resist the idea of legislation mandating Net neutrality. Also in contrast to their Democratic colleagues on the FCC, the Republicans that voted, Chairman Kevin Martin and Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate have also said they had no intention of applying Net neutrality conditions more broadly.
AT&T and Verizon representatives were quick to decry the bill’s re-emergence. In a quote by Walter McCormick, president of the U.S. Telecom Association, “Government regulation would make it against the law for any company to invest in customized Internet service.” It would mean losing advances in home health monitoring, greater security of financial transactions, new entertainment choices and telecommuting.
The consumer advocacy groups welcomed the renewed effort, which was also co-sponsored by six Democrats. The senators that sponsored the effort were Barbara Boxer, John Kerry, Tom Harkin, Patrick Leahy, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, no republicans supported aside from Snowe.
Legislation is the first steps towards a national policy that would secure all consumers, not just the affluent, have the most affordable access to high speed internet services.
When the bill was introduced last year, it failed by an 11-11 vote that was divided among party lines, now with the majority tipped slightly to the Democratic side, the bill’s chances could improve but are not assured.
I think users should have the freedom as we have always had. But we do need some form of security for it. I support this bill, but telephone companies are all about the benjimans and think only of that. They need to stop thinking of that and start thinking about the consumer. Otherwise this issue will keep rearing its ugly head over and over.
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