shouting loudly

Net neutrality: Gaining real traction

It appears that network neutrality has really caught a lot of people’s attention, in the general population and (therefore, also) in Congress. The link fest which follows is just a sliver of the gigantic mass of grassroots support and press coverage.

Even the cable industry has acknowledged that net neutrality is now the number one issue in Congress. Moby and Michael Stipe have joined the Save the Internet coalition. Lefty musicians aren’t the only ones jumping on the bandwagon, which has also earned the support of diverse groups, including the Christian Coalition. Another newspaper (among very many) issued an editorial on behalf of network neutrality: the San Jose Mercury News (use BugMeNot.com).

In response to all this popular support, the Telcos (who quietly rolled over the FCC and expected to get their way in Congress with little fanfare) have resorted to creating a front group, complete with a website that is just packed with lies. (No, really: filled with lies. Just ask Jesus’ General.) Other opponents with vested interests in a tiered internet, like Cisco, have also jumped into the fray without mentioning their financial motivations.

Congress has taken note of the outpouring of public support for net neutrality, and a growing bipartisan list of Representatives and Senators are trying to make sure network neutrality goes into any new telecomm law. This includes the leadership of the House Judiciary Committee–most notably, including Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), who’s VERY right-wing. (He wants to lock up all illegal immigrants as felons and force ISPs to keep records on your internet browsing habits.) The bill also drew immediate support from several consumer and public-interest groups.

In the Senate, a net neutrality bill sponsored by Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Olympia
Snowe (R-ME) has drawn an even more famous sponsor: Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY). Unfortunately, I’m sure that Clinton’s weighing in will only exaccerbate the knee-jerk reaction by the far right wing, who keep parroting the factually inaccurate argument that common carrier requirements would represent a new government intrusion into the internet.

(Quite the contrary, common carrier requirements on voice telephone service were responsible for making dial-up affordable and the dial-up market competitive, wishes of the baby bells to charge extra for modem calls notwithstanding. Net neutrality undoes the FCC’s very recent abrogation of its long tradition of ensuring that telecommunications companies carry all data fairly. For more, see the Brand X ruling. The recency of this change also disproves the telcos’ claim that the lack of internet discrimination means there is no threat; the threat is very real and only growing if we don’t act soon.)

One more link: The Conservative Voice explains “what the misguided have missed regarding network neutrality.” Specifically, he explains why even those on the right who have done their homework generally support network neutrality.

If you want to follow this explosive issue, I recommend you check out FreePress.net’s internet news page. They also have an email digest if you’re more of a passive media person.