Loose Tea

Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), chair of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunication and the Internet, introduced H.R. 5353, the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, Feb. 12. He was joined by Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS) as a co-sponsor of the bill.

The Bill [link] is made up of three sections: Broadband Policy, Internet Freedom Assessment and Broadband Summits.

The Broadband Policy update would involve adding a new section to the Communications Act of 1934.

The bill states:

“It is the policy of the United States—

“(1) to maintain the freedom to use for lawful purposes broadband telecommunications networks, including the Internet, without unreasonable interference from or discrimination by network operators, as has been the policy and history of the Internet and the basis of user expectations since its inception;

“(2) to ensure that the Internet remains a vital force in the United States economy, thereby enabling the Nation to preserve its global leadership in online commerce and technological innovation;

“(3) to preserve and promote the open and interconnected nature of broadband networks that enable consumers to reach, and service providers to offer, lawful content, applications, and services of their choosing, using their selection of devices, as long as such devices do not harm the network; and

“(4) to safeguard the open marketplace of ideas on the Internet by adopting and enforcing baseline protections to guard against unreasonable discriminatory favoritism for, or degradation of, content by network operators based upon its source, ownership, or destination on the Internet.”

The second part of the bill charges the FCC with assessing broadband services and consumer rights.

Finally, broadband summits would require the FCC to hold 8 summits around the country in the next year "about Internet freedom and U.S. broadband policies affecting consumer protection, competition, and consumer choice."

Comcast is already exercising discrimination with its broadband service, admittedly slowing down some traffic on its network, including music and movie downloads.

The time to act is now. Please take a moment to pen a letter (or type one on email over your Comcast home service) to your member of Congress asking him/her to support this legislation.

How to contact your representative: Contact Information

More info: Common Cause Fact Sheet