Background: Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today introduced the “Internet Non-Discrimination Act of 2006” to preserve the Net Neutrality principle of the Internet.
Public Knowledge President Gigi B. Sohn said the Wyden legislation “will preserve the open character of the Internet by preventing network operators from discriminating in favor of content, applications and services in which they have a financial interest.”
Sohn said, “The Internet has thrived precisely because network operators have not been able to pick and choose which content, applications and services to carry, and to give preferential treatment to others. In this environment, small companies, as Google once was, have been able to become large companies, as Google has become. Innovation has flourished for consumers and service providers.
“Now, we are in an uncertain time when network operators are threatening to impose new conditions on the high-speed broadband network. We can't allow that to happen. As our report, “Good Fences Makes Bad Broadband” demonstrated, and as a number of prominent newspapers have agreed, the economy and our society will be harmed if network operators control the Internet. Certainly, Net Neutrality should be part of any legislation that allows network operators to provide broadband into the home on an expedited basis, such as a national or state video franchise.
“Senator Wyden is to be commended for introducing this bill. Senator Wyden has been a staunch advocate for a free, open and innovative Internet over the years, and this legislation follows that philosophy.”
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