New York, NY – The New York City Council should pass a resolution that favors strong Net Neutrality regulation because the issue is important to the economy of the city, according to Public Knowledge, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest group.
Testifying before the City Council Committee on Technology in Government, PK Communications Director Art Brodsky said the group endorsed the resolution in “the strongest possible terms.”
Brodsky said: “All over this city, people are going online. They want to do research, send messages, check out museums, update their social networks, check out videos. Consumers make the choices of what service they want and how much they want to pay for it.”
He added: “All over this city, people are going online for a different reason. They want to create a business. Whether it's a new blog, or new application or web site, every developer needs the certainty that he or she can reach an audience. The developers need the certainty that the customers make the decision to see their videos or hear their music, not that the telephone, cable or wireless company makes the decision for them by favoring one company over another with special deals. The developers, particularly those starting out, don't have the money to be forced into the so-called ‘managed’ lanes that the carriers want to establish. They can't afford the protection money. An Internet governed by customer choice, not by carrier favoritism, gives everyone the shot to create a business.”
The resolution would call upon the Federal Communications Commission “to codify strong network neutrality principles in order to ensure that the Internet will continue to foster innovation, increase competition, and spur economic growth as well as making the Internet affordable for all.”
Brodsky said a neutral, non-discriminatory Internet would allow consumers to remain in control of their Internet access while allowing telephone, cable and wireless companies to manage their networks. Net Neutrality would not “regulate the Internet,” nor cost jobs, he said.
A copy of Brodsky's testimony is here.
The text of the resolution is here.
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.