Net Neutrality Push Expected to Resume in Congress

NET NEUTRALITY PUSH EXPECTED TO RESUME IN CONGRESS
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Anne Broache]
The nation's soon-to-be largest telephone company may have caved already to certain Net neutrality commitments in the name of a merger blessing, but a renewed push for more sweeping rules could return to Capitol Hill as soon as this month. AT&T said that for 30 months after the merger's closure, it would not provide or sell "any service that privileges, degrades or prioritizes any packet" transmitted over its pipes based on its "source, ownership or destination." That description amounts to a "framework for rules that can be applied industry-wide to allow American consumers and small businesses to benefit from deployment of discrimination-free advanced networks," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said. Wyden, who authored the first and perhaps most aggressive Network Neutrality bill to emerge last year, hopes to reintroduce his bill in similar form this January. Also hoping for a late January or early February proposal are Sens Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND). The duo teamed up in May to introduce the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, which barred network operators from making special deals with content providers and required them to offer all Internet material on an "equivalent" basis. The latest bill will likely only undergo "technical" changes, but the senators' staffs plan to discuss language of the AT&T-BellSouth concessions while finalizing their own. On the House of Representatives side, Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) plans to reintroduce an identical version of his Network Neutrality Act. Rep Markey, who is widely expected to be named the new chairman of a key Internet and telecommunications panel as early as this week, also plans to hold hearings on the topic throughout the spring and early summer.
http://news.com.com/Net+neutrality+push+expected+to+resume+in+Congress/2100-1028_3-6146678.html?tag=html.alert

See also --
* Protecting Internet Democracy
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Editorial Staff]
[Commentary] One of the big winners in the last election may turn out to be the principle, known as net neutrality, that Internet service providers should not be able to favor some content over others. Democrats who are moving into the majority in Congress -- led by Ron Wyden in the Senate and Edward Markey in the House -- say they plan to fight hard to pass a net neutrality bill, and we hope that they do. It is vital to preserve the Internet’s role in promoting entrepreneurship and free expression. A net neutrality law would require cable and telephone companies to continue to provide Web sites to Internet users on an equal basis. Passing the legislation will not be easy. On the information superhighway, net neutrality should be a basic rule of the road.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/opinion/03wed1.html
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