Cantwell to FCC: No ‘toll lanes,’ Preserve Net Neutrality
Source: Seattle Pi
Calling for “a strong and open Internet,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has warned the Federal Communications Commission not to set up a tiered system in which broadband providers could charge higher prices for access to “fast lanes.”
“We do not want artificial toll lanes on the innovation economy of the future,” Cantwell said in a Senate speech. “We can’t allow Internet service providers to set up fast lanes for those who can pay, and slow lanes for those who cannot.”
Politicians haven’t always been up on the technology economy. The late Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, once described the Internet as a “series of tubes.”
But Internet access has suddenly emerged as a political issue since Republican mid-term election victories earlier this month.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a rally in front of the WWII Memorial Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013 in Washington as Senate leaders have taken the helm in the search for a deal to end the partial government shutdown and avert a federal default. The memorial has been closed due to the government shutdown. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas: ”Obamacare for the Internet” (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Obama, who campaigned twice on the issue, urged the FCC to adopt a policy of “net neutrality.” Ultraconservative Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, shot back, describing net neutrality as “Obamacare for the Internet.”
“What happens when government starts regulating something as a public utility? It calcifies everything. It freezes it in place,” Cruz said in a video released earlier this week.
Cantwell and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., both veterans of the technology economy — Cantwell with RealNetworks, DelBene with Microsoft — make the opposite argument. They have become leading advocates for net neutrality.
“A strong and open Internet is one of the best ways to protect the innovation that supplies millions of American jobs,” said Cantwell. “Today, I’m calling on the FCC to take forceful action that adopts the strongest possible rules to provide maximum protection for consumers and maximum flexibility to promote the Internet economy.”
She warned that any tiered system would allow Internet Service Providers to cut “backroom deals to determine what information Americans can access online.”
The FCC has struggled with the issue.
Its previous broadband rules preventing a “fast lane” were struck down by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
In writing new rules, however, the federal regulatory agency has heard from 4 million Americans — overwhelmingly in favor of net neutrality — and finds itself with a key decision involving a tech sector that employs 3.9 million Americans.
Cantwell pointed out that YouTube began in a San Mateo, Calif., garage, and that Facebook had its start in a Harvard dorm room.
“Today, we want to make sure that the Internet is not under attack by those who would prefer a pay-to-play system,” she said. “The biggest telecom companies are trying to write the rules of the road that would crowd out some of these opportunities for unique entrepreneurs to continue to grow the application economy.”
Given how “pay-to-play” politics has worked since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling, the argument should have resonance.
Calling for “a strong and open Internet,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has warned the Federal Communications Commission not to set up a tiered system in which broadband providers could charge higher prices for access to “fast lanes.”
“We do not want artificial toll lanes on the innovation economy of the future,” Cantwell said in a Senate speech. “We can’t allow Internet service providers to set up fast lanes for those who can pay, and slow lanes for those who cannot.”
Politicians haven’t always been up on the technology economy. The late Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, once described the Internet as a “series of tubes.”
But Internet access has suddenly emerged as a political issue since Republican mid-term election victories earlier this month.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a rally in front of the WWII Memorial Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013 in Washington as Senate leaders have taken the helm in the search for a deal to end the partial government shutdown and avert a federal default. The memorial has been closed due to the government shutdown. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas: ”Obamacare for the Internet” (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Obama, who campaigned twice on the issue, urged the FCC to adopt a policy of “net neutrality.” Ultraconservative Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, shot back, describing net neutrality as “Obamacare for the Internet.”
“What happens when government starts regulating something as a public utility? It calcifies everything. It freezes it in place,” Cruz said in a video released earlier this week.
Cantwell and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., both veterans of the technology economy — Cantwell with RealNetworks, DelBene with Microsoft — make the opposite argument. They have become leading advocates for net neutrality.
“A strong and open Internet is one of the best ways to protect the innovation that supplies millions of American jobs,” said Cantwell. “Today, I’m calling on the FCC to take forceful action that adopts the strongest possible rules to provide maximum protection for consumers and maximum flexibility to promote the Internet economy.”
She warned that any tiered system would allow Internet Service Providers to cut “backroom deals to determine what information Americans can access online.”
The FCC has struggled with the issue.
Its previous broadband rules preventing a “fast lane” were struck down by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
In writing new rules, however, the federal regulatory agency has heard from 4 million Americans — overwhelmingly in favor of net neutrality — and finds itself with a key decision involving a tech sector that employs 3.9 million Americans.
Cantwell pointed out that YouTube began in a San Mateo, Calif., garage, and that Facebook had its start in a Harvard dorm room.
“Today, we want to make sure that the Internet is not under attack by those who would prefer a pay-to-play system,” she said. “The biggest telecom companies are trying to write the rules of the road that would crowd out some of these opportunities for unique entrepreneurs to continue to grow the application economy.”
Given how “pay-to-play” politics has worked since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling, the argument should have resonance.
Next Article Previous Article
