In an exclusive video for SavetheInternet.com, Sen. Byron Dorgan says he introduced the bipartisan “Net Neutrality Act” (S. 215) to protect the Internet’s potential to foster the “ultimate in democracy” and to stop the online market grab by large phone and cable companies seeking to impose new tolls on the Web.

“Increasingly big interests, cable and telephone companies and others, want to be gatekeepers and have toll charges on the Internet,” Sen. Dorgan says in the video.

“That is, in my judgement, dangerous because some place today out in this country there are a couple of people, college students perhaps, in a dorm room perhaps, who have a great idea, the next idea, the new, new thing.

Along with his colleague Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Dorgan yesterday introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2007.

The bill reignited the Net Neutrality debate on Capitol Hill — coming less than two weeks after AT&T’s concession to Net Neutrality conditions in its planned merger with BellSouth.

Both Dorgan and Snowe called upon Senators to act now to keep the Internet free of gatekeepers who would destroy this revolutionary platform for free speech and economic innovation.

“The only way that they’re going to be able to take that innovation that idea to the Internet is if someone out there is not discriminating against the small interests, against the little businesses. I want to keep the Internet open and free,” Dorgan says.

“The Internet Freedom and Preservation Act will give us the opportunity to preserve the Internet as we know it. That’s what has allowed us to progress and to create such great new wealth and opportunities not only in this country but in the world.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 at 12:16 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.-->