Waxman may move without full consensus on net-neutrality bill

[babylonsister]

Waxman may move without full consensus on net-neutrality bill
By Sara Jerome - 09/23/10 01:32 PM ET


Full consensus may not be the end game of an effort by House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (Calif.) as he crafts a bill on net neutrality, according to House aides involved in the process.

Waxman may move forward with a bill that does not get full agreement from all sides in the debate but that seems to have enough support to pass the House, three aides said.

As Congressional staffers weigh input from public interest groups and cable, phone, and Internet companies, their consideration has in part turned to whether moving without the approval of certain major stakeholders would sink the bill, the aides said.

Waxman "is a master legislator. He prevents the perfect from becoming the enemy of the good," one aide said. "That's not always easy — when you're talking to everyone — for everyone to swallow."

Two of the aides said they do not anticipate support from public interest groups no matter how the draft is written.

Further, the two aides said they believe Waxman might proceed in spite of an even wider swath of dissent — possibly even without the sign-off of Internet companies who have been heavily involved in the talks.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/120571-waxman-may-move-without-full-consensus-on-net-neutrality-bill