Net neutrality returns to Capitol Hill

by Sue Walsh on Apr 23, 2008 at 06:51 PM

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The net neutrality battle has returned to Capitol Hill. The Senate held a hearing on Tuesday called “The Future of the Internet” and during it Democratic politicians argued for the passage of a law that would prevent ISP’s from creating a fast lane for certain Internet content. Not surprisingly the cable industry, Republicans, and even the FCC opposed them. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said there was no need for any new rules as politicians discussed whether his agency has enough power to take action against ISPs who create unreasonable interference in user’s Internet use.

“To whatever degree people were alleging that this was a solution in search of a problem, it has found its problem,” said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). “We have an obligation to try and guarantee that the same freedom and the same creativity that was able to bring us to where we are today continues, going forward.”

Chairman Martin claimed no new laws were necessary because his agency already has the authority needed to enforce broadband connectivity principles, which give consumers the right to access any Internet content or apps they choose as long as they are legal. Republican Senators agreed. Committee vice Chairman Ted Stevens of Alaska said the new rules are “entirely unwarranted”.

This new debate comes on the heels of the Comcast-BitTorrent controversy in which the popular file sharing network and the ISP clashed over Comcast’s throttling of peer to peer connections. The cable giant was accused of trying to suppress competition with cable TV. (BitTorrent now legally distributes videos from its partners Warner Brothers, Paramount, Viacom, and PBS). The two companies eventually reached an agreement and settled their dispute but the FCC has not yet decided if Comcast violated broadband connectivity principles.

Read [CNET]

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