Groups warn Congress of dangers of COPE bill on the Internet

GROUPS WARN CONGRESS OF DANGERS OF COPE BILL ON INTERNET
[SOURCE: Common Cause]
Twenty-seven public interest, consumer, religious and media reform organizations today called on Congress to defeat the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act of 2006 (COPE, H.R. 5252), the first overhaul of our nation’s telecommunications laws since the 1996 Telecommunications Act. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the COPE bill within the next few weeks. Groups signing on to the letter to House members include Common Cause, the Alliance for Community Media, FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ, Inc., MoveOn.org Civic Action, and U.S. PIRG. The COPE bill would “harm the public’s access to information, will stymie innovation on the Internet, and deepen the digital divide,” the groups said in the letter. The letter also raised concerns over the federalization of the video franchising process and the lack of local consumer protections. COPE’s weak “network neutrality” provisions have come under intense fire of late. Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be able to access any web content they want, post their own content, and use any applications they choose, without restrictions or limitations imposed by their Internet service providers (ISPs). ISPs like Verizon, AT&T and Comcast have announced plans to create a tiered structure on the Internet, where their own content (and the content of companies that pay them large fees) will travel in a “fast lane” while the rest of the web would be relegated to a “slow lane.” Nonprofit groups have expressed concern that citizen advocacy and access to diverse viewpoints would be harmed under such a system, and claim that COPE does not adequately protect network neutrality.
* Who Should Control the Internet?
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