The Freedom Preservation Act is back for another round. More commonly referred to as the “Net Neutrality Act,” the proposed legislation was reintroduced to Congress on Tuesday by U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.). In June 2006, the bill failed to pass in the previously Republican-controlled Congress; however, with Democrats now in the majority, many supporters of the law say they are confident it will be enacted.
The Freedom Preservation Act is designed to prevent big network operators from charging higher fees for faster access to their broadband lines, but critics claim it will “stifle” broadband development. Under the bill, network operators would be prohibited from discriminating when providing bandwidth and would have to offer consumers the option to purchase standalone broadband service without any requirement of bundling with cable, phone, or VoIP.
In a statement, Peter Davidson, Verizon Wireless’ senior vice president for federal government relations, said, “Net neutrality—better named net regulation—is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. In the end, most policymakers will focus on how to increase broadband deployment and wonder how Net regulation advances that goal.”
However, defenders of the bill say it would prevent blockage or impairment of content, not technological expansion. Content discrimination would “fundamentally change the way the Internet has operated and threatens to derail the democratic nature of the Internet,” Dorgan said in a statement. “The Internet became a robust engine of economic development by enabling anyone with a good idea to connect to consumers and compete on a level playing field. The marketplace picked winners and losers, not some central gatekeeper.”
Snowe believes the current Congress bodes well for the proposed act. “The tide has turned in the debate between those who seek to maintain equality and those who would benefit from the creation of a toll road on the Internet super highway,” Snowe said. “[The] reintroduction of the Internet Freedom Preservation Act marks another step toward ensuring the fate of the Internet lies in the hands of its users and not the hands of a few gatekeepers.”
Co-sponsors of the bill include Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
The senators said the bill has support from large and small Internet businesses, consumer groups, labor and education groups, religious organizations, and others.
