No Net Neutrality
Still amazed and saddened by how little media coverage this, you-would-think, very important topic has gotten by mainstream media. OH, wait, who owns mainstream media? Oh, yeah, that's right.
The Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday rejected a network-neutrality amendment, handing cable and phone broadband-access providers yet another victory over a coalition that has demanded the application of strict nondiscrimination standards against entities that control access to millions of Internet users.The panel voted 11 to 11 to defeat an amendment sponsored by Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), who had backing from Google, Yahoo!, eBay, Amazon, Microsoft and other firms that deliver voice, video, and information services and applications.
Under Senate rules, a tie vote means the amendment failed.
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I am seriously worried. I am trying to get the word out too (as are many bloggers) Unfortunately, we are the "little people" that no-one gives a damn about.
Thanks for the info on this latest development.
I was following the "progress" of the bill.
I can understand that folks would justifiably be bummed out by this. I hear you; I'm bummed out too.
We should take heart that the friction over the NN provisions could make a bill hard to bring to the Senate floor and pass:
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6348280.html?display=Breaking+News
Plus, it's important to remember that it's not over yet, and that I'm very glad that Feministing (which I love to read) is taking the fight on, and helping spread awareness of it, which will prove key in the future victory on this issue.
Here's one interesting article of the international dimensions of the NN fight:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2003092244_telecom29.html
Plus, you can get a snarky take of the matter, like I did in this article posted on GNN:
http://www.gnn.tv/articles/2383/Not_So_Net_Neutral
Keep up the fight, my friends!
This isn't over yet. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has placed a hold on this, as he promised.
There's more. A number of reports in the past two days are saying that, interestingly enough, the lack of NN provisions has seriously worsened the chances of this bill passing at all this year.
Here's a reprint from USA Today with more:
http://www.freepress.net/news/16336
Isn't it ironic? Don't you think?
All our calls to Senators helped. We need to keep calling all 100 Senators to continue raising awareness about net neutrality. I tell the Democrat ones to read Crashing The Gate.
http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/specialguests/2006/jun/29/when_a_net_neutrality_tie_is_a_win
http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/6/29/13346/5943
The Ted Stevens Remix is making the rounds. It's hilarious:
http://www.boldheaded.com/2006/07/dj-ted-stevens-techno-remix-series-of.html
From the link in my last comment:
Ted Stevens got himself all wound up in a several-minute-long rant that ended up making absolutely no sense whatsoever. He calmed down later, but there were some scary moments for those concerned about who was making Internet policy as we asked ourselves how much these guys really know about what they are doing.