April 25, 2006
Markey, House Dems Seek Net Neutrality Amendment in Commerce Mark-Up
The House Commerce Committee has started mark-up of the Barton bill, legislation that will primarily create a national video franchise scheme. But, after having been shot down in the Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittte, ranking member Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), along with a group of House Democrats, plans to take another run at amending the bill to include tougher net neutrality requirements.
In his opening statement, Markey said
Tomorrow’s network neutrality debate [amendments will be debated tomorrow] will present members with a choice. It is a choice between favoring the broadband designs of a small handful of very large companies or safeguarding the dreams of thousands of inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. Tomorrow we will either vote to preserve the Internet as we know it, or instead, vote to fundamentally and detrimentally alter it.
The new amendment, supported by Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Jay Inslee (D-OH), is said to differ slightly from the previous amendment voted down in subcommittee. It states, among other more general things (e.g. broadband providers cannot block, degrade or impair content delivery, etc.) that if a broadband provider offers any kind of enhanced quality of delivery for any kind of data or service, it must offer the same priortization or enhanced quality delivery for all data of that type.
The Markey amendment also requires broadband providers to disclose any special deals they do strike. It further establishes a complaint process at the FCC, directing the Commission to develop regulations governing this process. The Commission is also required to resolve complaints within 30 days of submission.
Posted by Cynthia Brumfield at April 25, 2006 07:49 PM