Net Neutrality: Gunowners, Moveon, Instapundit, and Vint Cerf Unite for SaveTheInternet.com

by Matt Stoller, Fri Apr 21, 2006 at 04:22:06 PM EDT

I've written a bunch about the importance of network neutrality. The pro-net neutrality coalition SavetheInternet.com is launching on Monday with such participants as Instapundit, Gun Owner's of America, Moveon, and Vint Cerf (known as the 'father of the internet').

Libertarian Alex Curtis at Public Knowledge prepared the following two minute video clip, and it does a much better job than I could in explaining the stakes of this fight.

Tags: net neutrality (all tags)

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Re: Net Neutrality: Gunowners, Moveon

Wow, I am a gunowner AND I am a regular on all those sites. I suspect there's more of us than people think.

by jgarcia 2006-04-21 06:59PM | 0 recs

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Re: Net Neutrality: Gunowners, Moveon, Instapundit

Definetly a great video. I've been wondering today - what if an internet provider started up on the principle of net neutrality? Or perhaps if you had to pay a premium to get access to the internet without walls. That would be a sad day indeed.

by John Nicosia 2006-04-21 08:00PM | 0 recs

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Re: Net Neutrality: Gunowners, Moveon, Instapundit

The problem is there's no separation between the owner of the pipe and the provider of the service. Unless you have this, there is no competition and without competition we all get the same lousy service.

by patachon 2006-04-21 08:42PM | 0 recs

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So what are you saying

Should we get on board or not? Are you saying that we should get on board a slightly or greatly different proposal? I was prepared to pitch this to SoapBlox/Chicago but I couldn't find the complete list of joiners so I'm pausing. Now I see your comment. Maybe expand on it a bit either here or over at SB/C.

by Jeff Wegerson 2006-04-21 09:35PM | 0 recs

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Re: So what are you saying

No, no, Mr. W! SavetheInternet.com is something to support to the last ounce of our strength!

If you want my opinion, have a look here. I do everything but get emotional about this.

The lack of competition for ISP Providers is a related issue but doesn't detract from Net Neutrality. The point is up to now all we've got for DSL in, say, Chicago is AT&T. There should be regulations that force AT&T to open its network to independent DSL vendors. That's way we'd have greater competition and for that reason better service and cheaper prices.

by patachon 2006-04-22 02:43PM | 0 recs

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OK, what's the H.R. number?

There's proposed legislation here, right? Either a bill that would legislate net neutrality, or one that would enable its abandonment.

If I could call up my Congresspersons and say "I'm for/against H.R. ___," that would make it a lot easier for me to get the message through to my Congresspersons; this is how they think.

And if there isn't a bill, then what's the problem?

by RT 2006-04-22 03:57AM | 0 recs

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Re: OK, what's the H.R. number?

I hven't found any HR#, but here is a link to Common Cause and a way to join them in sending comments to your senators and reps:
http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c =dkLNK1MQIwG&b=1421497

by LookInward 2006-04-22 07:53AM | 0 recs

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Re: OK, what's the H.R. number?

For the Senate Bill:

S. 2360: Internet Non-Discrimination Act of 2006

House Description from SavetheInternet.com:

Congress is now considering a major overhaul of the Telecommunications Act. The primary bill in the House is called the "Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006" and is sponsored by Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas), Rep Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Rep. Charles Pickering (R-Miss.) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.).

The current version of the COPE Act includes watered-down net neutrality provisions that are essentially meaningless. An amendment offered in a key subcommittee by Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), which would have instituted real net neutrality requirements, was defeated after intense industry lobbying against it.

But it's not too late yet. A full committee vote on the measure -- and another opportunity to save the Internet -- could happen as soon as April 26.

As far as the HR #, it doesn't seem like it has one yet. (Is this possible?) All I could find were references to it like:

Barton-Rush Communications, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PDF format, 105 kb)

H.R. __, a Committee Print on the Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006, as amended

The list of members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce can be found here

SavetheInternet.com has a nice guide using Flash called "House Energy & Commerce Committee: Where they Stand" that's also useful.

by patachon 2006-04-22 03:26PM | 0 recs

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Democrats failure of analysis

This is even worse than when that gutless idiot Les Aspin knuckled under and put Rush Limbough on Armed Forces Radio and as bad as the 8 year failure of the Clinton administration to either restore the fairness doctrine or destroy the right wing media conglomerates. The LAST bastion of the free press in the US will now be turned over to clear channel and as millions of Americans find their media choices reduced to right-wing-jesus/porn/home-shopping/and- 24-hour-hate, the same naive and witless Democrats who presided over the destruction of radio, cable, network TV, and newspapers will dumbly wonder why their message doesn't get out.

by flyoverperson 2006-04-22 06:43AM | 0 recs

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Re: Net Neutrality: Gunowners, Moveon, Instapundit

Nicely done. Is there an HR#?

by LookInward 2006-04-22 07:20AM | 0 recs

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Re: Net Neutrality

If Alex Curtis feels so strongly about net neutrality, he should really stop thinking of himself as "libertarian." Free-market libertarianism is precisely what's making it possible for ISPs to enter into non-neutral agreements with search engines and other content providers (freedom of contract!), and for Microsoft to drive non-neutral technological standards into content and applications software markets through the power of its OS monopoly (libertarians love to claim that antitrust is obsolete in the digital age).

Libertarianism only makes sense today if you first go back through history and make everyone who ever stole something from somebody give it back.

by cyberlaw 2006-04-22 08:23AM | 0 recs