Network Neutrality rules in stimulus trigger backlash

Open Internet access rules added to the stimulus package threaten the tentative partnership between technology and telecom companies, which have coalesced behind the bill's $6 billion funding for broadband access. Conditions inserted into draft legislation released by the House Appropriations Committee state that companies applying for broadband grants must adhere to a 2005 policy statement by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that says consumers should access the Internet with no controls placed on their web traffic or content. In addition, another provision calls upon the FCC to define what "open access" to the Internet is within 45 days after the stimulus bill has become law. Advocates for an open Internet cheered the addition of the conditions to the stimulus. Many had lobbied lawmakers hard to include such provisions. "The fact that House leadership decided to put such a strong condition on open access is very significant," said Ben Scott, policy director for Free Press, a public interest group that focuses on telecommunications policy. "To me, this signals that we are no longer talking about 'if' with net neutrality. It means we are talking about 'when'." "We didn't want to see this as an open-ended program without some basic consumer protections," said Markham Erickson, executive director of the Open Internet Coalition. "Essentially, it is current law. Plus, it is public dollars." The coalition is made up of several Internet companies, such as Amazon and Google, and many public interest organizations, including Free Press.