Free Press Questions Justice Department’s Late Hit Against Net Neutrality

FREE PRESS QUESTIONS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT'S LATE HIT AGAINST NET NEUTRALITY
[SOURCE: Free Press news release]
Public interest advocates are seeking to uncover whether industry lobbyists or White House politics unduly influenced a recent Justice Department filing against Net Neutrality — the longstanding principle that prevents phone and cable companies from discriminating against Web sites and services. Free Press, the national, nonpartisan media reform group that coordinates the SavetheInternet.com Coalition, today submitted a request under the Freedom of Information Act to uncover the underlying factors that led to the Justice Department’s Sept. 6 filing at the Federal Communications Commission — which came months after the FCC’s formal comment period had closed. “We want to know what motivated the Department of Justice to oppose Net Neutrality this late in the process,” said Marvin Ammori, general counsel of Free Press and author of the request. “The filing lacks any evidence of serious investigation into this critical issue and fits into a pattern of politically motivated decisions coming out of the Justice Department. We want to know if the Bush administration’s lawyers reached out to any of the thousands of groups, businesses or individuals who support Net Neutrality — or if they only talked to industry lobbyists at AT&T and Verizon.”
http://www.freepress.net/press/release.php?id=271

* Justice Department Should Explain Stand Against Net Neutrality
http://www.consumersunion.org/blogs/hun/2007/09/justice_department_should_expl.html