Internet Bill a Blow to the Gatekeepers

[Speciesamused]

From SavetheInternet.com, February 13, 2008


Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) today launched the latest salvo in the struggle to keep the Internet free from gatekeepers with the introduction of the “Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008” (HR 5353).

The bipartisan bill protects Net Neutrality under the Communications Act and calls for a nationwide conversation to set policy about the future of the Internet.

The legislation gives hope to the millions of Americans who have called for action to ensure that the public — not phone and cable companies — control the fate of the Internet.

Taking it Public

The new bill calls on the agency to convene at least eight “broadband summits” to collect public input on a variety of policies “that will promote openness, competition, innovation, and affordable, ubiquitous broadband service for all individuals in the United States.”

[Auggie]

1. YES!

[gateley]

2. K&R - Thanks! nt

[AndyTiedye]

3. KICKED ONTO THE "GREATEST" PAGE!

:kick:

[file83]

4. Save the Internets!! Keep the Tubes OPEN!!! 1'm series!!!!!1!!

[mogster]

5. Link:

http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/2008/02/12/internet-bill-would-bar-discrimination-engage-the-public-on-better-policy/

[mogster]

6. Snippets from the text

‘‘SEC. 12. BROADBAND POLICY.
‘‘It is the policy of the United States—
‘‘(1) to maintain the freedom to use for lawful purposes broadband telecommunications networks, including the Internet, without unreasonable interference from or discrimination by network operators, as has been the policy and history of the Internet and the basis of user expectations since its inception;

‘‘(2) to ensure that the Internet remains a vital force in the United States economy, thereby enabling the Nation to preserve its global leadership in online commerce and technological innovation;

‘‘(3) to preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of broadband networks that enable consumers to reach, and service providers to offer, lawful content, applications, and services of their choosing, using their selection of devices, as long as such devices do not harm the network; and

‘‘(4) to safeguard the open marketplace of ideas on the Internet by adopting and enforcing baseline protections to guard against unreasonable discriminatory favoritism for, or degradation of, content by network operators based upon its source, ownership, or destination on the Internet.’’.
http://www.freepress.net/docs/markey_086_xml.pdf

[druidity33]

7. K&R! nt.