Background: House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) today introduced H.R. 5994, the “Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act of 2008.”
The following statement is attributed to Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
“We are grateful to Chairman Conyers and Rep. Lofgren for introducing this legislation.
“The bill squarely addresses the issue of the enormous market power of the telephone and cable companies as the providers of 98 percent of the broadband service in the country. The bill restores the principle of non-discrimination that allowed the Internet to flourish in the dial-up era, making certain that the same freedom and innovation will flourish in the broadband era without burdensome regulation.
“Recent Congressional hearings, including by the Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Task Force, have shown telephone and cable companies will take any opportunity to threaten the essential open character of the Internet, by denying they are impeding Internet traffic or trying to use the guise of innovative business models. The March 11 Task Force hearing also showed how small and independent businesses, like the band OK Go, depend on an open Internet.
“Now is the time for Congress to act to protect a free and open Internet.”
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.