Panelists Debate Copyrights, Open Internet in U.S. Broadband Plan

Communication and intellectual property experts debated whether a national broadband plan is the right vehicle for addressing copyright and network neutrality issues and whether the Federal Communications Commission is overstepping its bounds by dabbling with copyright issues.

Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn sparred with officials from the Recording Industry Association of America, telling RIAA's executive vice president and general counsel that the recording and Hollywood industries along with some song writers want Internet service providers to filter networks for copyright infringement. She pressed Steven Marks, of RIAA, to come clean about his group's wishes for ISPs to adopt a "three strikes and you're out" policy, referring to the suggestion that a consumer would be penalized if he violates a copyright more than three times.