Fergie's Tech Blog

Inouye Rips New Stevens Draft Telecom Bill

Ted Hearn writes on broadcastnewsroom.com:

The top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee Monday refused to endorse the newest version of a sweeping telecommunications bill sponsored by chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), calling the third draft releaselast Friday "a further step backward for consumers."

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) attacked the bill on a number of fronts, including Stevens' approach to addressing the ability of broadband access providers to pressure Web-based providers of voice, video and information services to pay for priority access to end users, or to pay to not have their services blocked.

"The new draft's provisions on net neutrality utterly fail to protect consumers and preserve an open Internet. Under the current language, network operators will have the ability to dictate what the Internet of the future will look like, what content it will include, and how it will operate," Inouye said.

posted by Fergie @ 6/19/2006 05:46:00 PM