June 9, 2006
House Rejects Net Neutrality
From The Nation.
"The First Amendment of the Internet the governing principle of Net neutrality, which prevents telecommunications corporations from rigging the web so it is easier to visit sites that pay for preferential treatment took a blow from the House of Representatives Thursday.
Bowing to an intense lobbying campaign that spent tens of millions of dollars and held out the promise of hefty campaign contributions for those members who did the bidding of interested firms the House voted 321 to 101 for the disingenuously-named Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (COPE). That bill, which does not include meaningful network-neutrality protections creates an opening that powerful telephone and cable companies hope to exploit by expanding their reach while doing away with requirements that they maintain a level playing field for access to Internet sites.
... The fight over net neutrality now moves to the Senate."
Links:
-- Net Neutrality Advocates - The net-neutrality debate started off with a great name and a good premise namely, that a user should have the ability to connect and use any device over the Internet. But today net neutrality has morphed into a set of proposed restrictions designed to limit significantly the ability of Internet service providers to enter into private contracts with content owners and to prioritize traffic over their networks.
-- SaveTheInternet.com Coalition Statement. - Passage of major telecom legislation without enforceable Net Neutrality is a low point in the history of US policymaking. The telephone-cable Internet duopoly providers deluged Congress with an army of lobbyists, countless millions spent on misleading PR spin and outright lies, and a single-minded determination to put their bottom line ahead of the democratic principles of an open, neutral Internet.
-- A call for Internet Black Out - Since 1996, black backgrounds on Web sites have been used as a symbol for protesting government actions.
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