Posted on 10/27/2007 6:40:26 PM PDT by BenLurkin
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two Senators on Friday called for a congressional hearing to investigate reports that phone and cable companies are unfairly stifling communications over the Internet and on cell phones.
Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said the incidents involving several companies, including Comcast Corp., Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., have raised serious concerns over the companies' "power to discriminate against content."
They want the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to investigate whether such incidents were based on legitimate business policies or unfair and anticompetitive practices and if more federal regulation is needed.
"The phone and cable companies have previously stated that they would never use their market power to operate as content gatekeepers and have called efforts to put rules in place to protect consumers 'a solution in search of a problem,'" they said in a letter to Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, the committee's chairman.
A committee spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter.
An Associated Press report on Oct. 19 detailed how Comcast Corp. was interfering with file sharing by some of its Internet subscribers. The AP found instances in some areas of the country where traffic was blocked or delayed significantly.
Comcast -- the nation's No. 2 Internet provider -- has acknowledged "delaying" some subscriber Internet data, but said the delays are temporary and intended to improve surfing for other users.
Verizon Wireless in late September denied a request by Naral Pro-Choice America, an abortion rights group, to use its mobile network for a sign-up text messaging program.
The company reversed course just a day later, calling it a mistake and an "isolated incident."
AT&T reportedly changed a service agreement that previously included language permitting the company to cancel accounts of Internet users who disparage the company.
Several lawmakers, including Dorgan, earlier this year introduced so-called legislation promoting "Net neutrality," which is the principle that all Internet traffic be treated equally by carriers.
Equal treatment of traffic is long-standing practice on the Internet. The legislation is a response to suggestions by phone companies that they would like charge Web sites extra for preferential treatment of their traffic.
Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Britain-based Vodafone Group PLC.
Go get ‘em!
Net nuetrality rears its ugly head.
One with an R and one with a D, pretty good reason to ignore them for now, they're senators.
The free market can and will fix this without the undesired assistance of the U.S. Senate.
Is it fair for my neighbor to be slowing down my internet access with huge downloads?
Let’s try “Content control rears its ugly head...”
Then don’t control content, simply bill for bandwidth in “levels of use”. That’s a simple economic procedure that doesn’t bear on content. Bill in three segments of use, light, medium and heavy (or whatever other methodology will work for “paying” for bandwidth). That way everyone pays their own way and no one has content blocked or affected.
The so-called “free market” is already acting in such a way that it is affecting content and barring or blocking or slowing down certain content and letting other content go through. That’s already clear on the Comcast issue. So, the “free market” has apparently spoken and it’s painting a picture of controlling content. That’s not a picture I want painted, so I’ll call in my Senator and Representatives to speak to the issue of leaving content alone and simply billing on bandwidth alone (and nothing else).
“power to discriminate against content.”
Ask yourselves why Google wasn’t listed and know that Google search results reflect political discrimination every day.
Your point is valid, but only in the short run. Have you ever met a happy Comcast customer? I haven’t. I would never over my dead body trust the current senate to ‘fix’ anything.
Best to keep govt. out of it all costs. Instead rage at your township (or other similar layer) who handles the cable contracts in your area, and get the market opened up.
To be sure, there is a competitor that is more than willing to fill the void, if they were allowed to.
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