Several sources are saying that the House Telecom Bill will go to the floor this week, most likely on Friday. This bill, known as the COPE Act, has a weak net neutrality provision that gives the FCC the power to enforce its Broadband Policy Statement. The policy statement lacks the key ingredient that NN supporters seek – a prohibition against broadband network operators' favoring content and applications in which they have a financial interest.
The key decision for NN supporters will be made before that vote, most likely on Wednesday. That is when the House Rules Committee will decide whether to permit a NN amendment to be offered when the bill is “on the floor” – that is, ready for a vote by the entire House. Obvious candidates for such an amendment are the Sensenbrenner-Conyers NN bill, which passed the House Judiciary Committee and the Markey-Dingell-Boucher NN bill, which was defeated both in the House Telecom Subcomittee and the full House Commerce Committee. If the Rules Committee decides not to permit an NN amendment to come to the floor, then the American people will be denied a vote on what has become the most important technology issue in quite some time.
Things are very fluid, so stay tuned here for information on how you can help ensure an open Internet.