Ddawg
14th January 2007, 07:22
Who Does Net Neutrality Benefit? (http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20070114/tc_cmp/196900658)
By K.C. Jones InformationWeek
Washington wasted no time in the new year getting back to the business of Net neutrality. Sens. Byron Dorgan (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Byron%20Dorgan%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=117ve5fvh/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=454), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11gqnoee0/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=454)), D-N.D., and Olympia Snowe (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Olympia%20Snowe%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11734evsd/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=282), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11g6v9eko/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=282)), R-Maine, introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2007 last week. The bill came less than two weeks after AT&T conceded to network neutrality commitments in its merger with BellSouth.
The bill seeks to ensure that broadband (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/cmp/tc_cmp/storytext/196900658/21569924/SIG=12bi4b5qo/*http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm.jhtml?term=broadband&x=&y=) service providers don't "interfere with, discriminate against, impair, or degrade" any Internet applications--in particular by charging more for certain services or content. Snowe said the legislation would help keep the Internet in the hands of users, "not a few gatekeepers." Dorgan and Snowe introduced similar legislation last year, but it never made it to a vote.
Net neutrality would seem to be a pet project of the new Democratic majority. Sens. Barbara Boxer (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Barbara%20Boxer%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11779k8ub/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=358), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11g37t61u/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=358)) of California, Hillary Clinton of New York, Tom Harkin (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Tom%20Harkin%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=1174ab25e/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=249), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11gf75d8e/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=249)) of Iowa, John Kerry of Massachusetts, Patrick Leahy (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Patrick%20Leahy%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=1174vafan/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=592), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11g49da8m/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=592)) of Vermont, and Barack Obama (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Barack%20Obama%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=118ul297o/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=3181), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11hbic58m/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=3181)) of Illinois are co-sponsoring this latest bill.
Opponents of Net neutrality say the legislation benefits large Web companies like Google (http://www.google.com), while forcing consumers to bear the cost of upgrading U.S. communications (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/cmp/tc_cmp/storytext/196900658/21569924/SIG=12g5kk9r0/*http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm.jhtml?term=communications&x=&y=) networks.
By K.C. Jones InformationWeek
Washington wasted no time in the new year getting back to the business of Net neutrality. Sens. Byron Dorgan (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Byron%20Dorgan%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=117ve5fvh/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=454), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11gqnoee0/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=454)), D-N.D., and Olympia Snowe (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Olympia%20Snowe%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11734evsd/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=282), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11g6v9eko/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=282)), R-Maine, introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2007 last week. The bill came less than two weeks after AT&T conceded to network neutrality commitments in its merger with BellSouth.
The bill seeks to ensure that broadband (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/cmp/tc_cmp/storytext/196900658/21569924/SIG=12bi4b5qo/*http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm.jhtml?term=broadband&x=&y=) service providers don't "interfere with, discriminate against, impair, or degrade" any Internet applications--in particular by charging more for certain services or content. Snowe said the legislation would help keep the Internet in the hands of users, "not a few gatekeepers." Dorgan and Snowe introduced similar legislation last year, but it never made it to a vote.
Net neutrality would seem to be a pet project of the new Democratic majority. Sens. Barbara Boxer (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Barbara%20Boxer%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11779k8ub/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=358), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11g37t61u/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=358)) of California, Hillary Clinton of New York, Tom Harkin (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Tom%20Harkin%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=1174ab25e/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=249), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11gf75d8e/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=249)) of Iowa, John Kerry of Massachusetts, Patrick Leahy (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Patrick%20Leahy%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=1174vafan/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=592), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11g49da8m/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=592)) of Vermont, and Barack Obama (news (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/politics/news/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/*http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Barack%20Obama%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw), bio (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/bio/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=118ul297o/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/?id=3181), voting record (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/capadv/vote/cmp/tc_cmp/196900658/21569924/SIG=11hbic58m/*http://yahoo.capwiz.com/y/bio/keyvotes/?id=3181)) of Illinois are co-sponsoring this latest bill.
Opponents of Net neutrality say the legislation benefits large Web companies like Google (http://www.google.com), while forcing consumers to bear the cost of upgrading U.S. communications (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/cmp/tc_cmp/storytext/196900658/21569924/SIG=12g5kk9r0/*http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm.jhtml?term=communications&x=&y=) networks.