"Congress Is Giving Away the Internet, and You Won't Like Who Gets It"

Read the full posting by Art Brodsky, TPM Cafe, April 21, 2006.

Broassky's Lead: "Congress is going to hand the operation of the Internet over to AT&T, Verizon and Comcast. Democrats are helping. It's a shame."

The United States' Communications Act has in the past required "net neutrality". Net neutrality is the provision that says all speech on the internet must be treated equally. "Last fall, however, the Federal Communications Commission, backed by the U.S. Supreme Court, decided that the high-speed Internet services offered by the cable and telephone companies didn’t fall under that law." U.S. telephone and cable companies now say that they will create premium lanes on the Internet for higher fees, and give preferential access to their own services and those who can afford extra charges. The U.S. House of Representatives Commerce Committee is to consider legislation next Wednesday that would preserve net neutrality in broadband.

I am going to contact my Congressman right now. I suggest U.S. readers do so too!