More than 60 technology companies, consumer advocates and trade
groups are urging a U.S. House of Representatives committee to
seriously consider legislation designed to prohibit broadband
providers from discriminating against competing services
transmitted over their networks.
Amid some press reports that the House Energy and Commerce
committee was ready to scrap so-called net neutrality provisions
from a broad-ranging communications bill, the groups sent a letter
to the committee Wednesday. A committee spokesman said Thursday no
decisions have been made about what provisions will be included in
the communications bill.
The bill also includes a streamlined video franchise plan that
would allow large telecommunications companies entering the video
market to get quick approves to offer service to compete with cable
television.
"We ... believe that unless Congress acts, the Internet is at risk
of losing the openness that has made it an engine for phenomenal
social and economic growth," the letter form the groups says. "We
are writing to urge that Congress take steps now to preserve this
fundamental underpinning of the Internet and to assure the Internet
remains a platform open to innovation and progress."
Among the companies signing the letter were Amazon.com Inc.,
EarthLink Inc., eBay Inc., Match.com, Microsoft Corp., Pulver.com,
TiVO Inc. and Yahoo Inc. Advocacy groups signing onto the letter
included the Consumer Federation of America, Free Press and Public
Knowledge.
On Thursday, Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, said he would
introduce a net neutrality law.
Large broadband providers, including Verizon Communications Inc.,
Comcast Corp. and AT&T Inc., say a net neutrality law isn't
needed, because there's little evidence of a problem. Such a law
would prohibit broadband providers from providing preferential
treatment to their own or their partners services and blocking or
slowing access to competing services, such as an unaffiliated VOIP
(voice over Internet Protocol) service.
DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) provider BellSouth Corp. has proposed
a business model where it charges Web sites and services an
additional fee for better speed and performance, and most net
neutrality backers say such a service would hurt small businesses
and innovative startups. Officials from BellSouth, Verizon and
AT&T have all, in recent months, complained that Web-based
businesses such as Google Inc. are getting a free ride over their
pipes.
Large broadband providers have also suggested that a net neutrality
provision would be one of the first major regulations of the
Internet.
The letter from the 64 groups said consumers, not network
providers, should decide what Web sites and services they use.
"While it is appropriate for Congress to develop new legislation to
promote competition among broadband networks, it must also ensure
that consumers and providers continue to have the right to use
those networks to send and receive content, and to use applications
and services, without interference by network operators," the
letter said.
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