Key Dem lawmakers call for rewrite of 1996 Telecom Act

[IScreamSundays]

Source: WaPo

Key Democratic lawmakers said Monday that they are seeking to update communications laws, a move aimed at clarifying murky interpretations over federal oversight of the Internet.

In a brief statement, Congressional Commerce Committee chairmen Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) and Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) said they would "start a process to develop proposals" to update the Communications Act. Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the communications subcommittee and Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.), chairman of the communications subcommittee, joined in the announcement.

The lawmakers said that starting in June, they will invite stakeholders to participate in bipartisan meetings to address issues and concerns over federal oversight of Internet services and businesses. They said their offices would release a list of topics for discussion and details on how they will go about updating the 1996 Telecommunications Act.

The move comes amid increased uncertainty over the government's role as watchdog for Internet service providers such as AT&T and Comcast as well as the software and services that ride over those pipes such as Google's search engine and social networking site Facebook. The Federal Communications Commission announced earlier this month that it would redefine broadband networks -- the pipes owned by Verizon and Time Warner Cable -- as telecommunications services after a federal appeals court cast fresh doubts over the agency's ability to regulate Internet access providers. The Federal Trade Commission enforces consumer protection laws that hold social networking sites and applications such as Google's Street View accountable when user privacy is violated. But the agency isn't a rule-making agency in the way the FCC is, and some privacy and consumer advocacy groups have urged Congress to give the FTC more muscle to create rules for Internet applications, which are largely unregulated.

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Read more: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2010/05/key_dem_lawmakers_call_for_rew.html

[ozymandius]

1. Good.

It's way past time to do this. The FCC has had a rough run in the courts of late in asserting their authority over the Internet in line with net neutrality ideas. If congressional action provides backup to net neutrality then all the better for the rest of us.

[elleng]

2. There will be QUITE a fight, imo.

[Carter Hayes]

4. As with healthcare, but it passed . We can win, n/t

[Scuba]

3. This is important to protect our free speech...

...please provide your support.

[No Elephants]

6. Think I'll wait to see what the bill actually says first. "Fool me once....."

[Scuba]

7. Yes, I didn't mean to blindly support any "clean air act" bill....

...but keeping the net 'open' so all voices have equal volume(read: bandwidth).

[DumpDavisHogg]

5. They need to just repeal the whole damn thing

Not a single good thing has come from the 1996 Telecommunications Act.

[ShortnFiery]

8. Excellent Idea!

:thumbsup:

[NashVegas]

9. I Have No Faith

The whole idea of the screaming behind "net neutrality" is complete, utter horse-shit that's, IMO, ultimately being fed by the electronics industry to keep the gravy train running. The more people who can download their hearts out on Pirate Bay or whatever means the more hardware they can sell.

Microsoft, Apple, and hundreds of thousands of developers in concert - knowingly or otherwise - are devastating entire industries where creative professionals used to eek out livings. Now Apple's pissed (allegedly) that YouPorn developers have found a platform compatible with iPad. The poor dears.