Backing House Internet provisions, Sen. Wyden galls telecom industry

Sen Ron Wyden (D-OR), a prominent champion for the tech industry, will find himself at odds with telecom lobbyists over provisions in the economic stimulus package designed to give consumers unrestricted access to the Web. Sen Wyden has lined up behind the House provisions on open access, which are more detailed than those in the Senate legislation related to how the recovery package's billions of dollars for developing Internet infrastructure should be spent. In the House bill that passed last week, lawmakers call upon the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to define what "open access" is within 45 days of the stimulus's passage. In addition, companies applying for broadband grants will have to adhere to a 2005 policy statement by the FCC that says consumers should access the Web with no restrictions placed by providers on their Internet traffic or content. The Senate version has general language saying companies applying for broadband grants should stick to "non-discrimination" contractual obligations that will be published by the Commerce Department in coordination with the FCC.