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Public comments flooded the Federal Communications Commission on Monday, the final day for the agency’s Net Neutrality “Inquiry.” With very few exceptions the public voiced overwhelming support for rules to ensure that the Internet remain free of gatekeepers.

Tens of thousands of people told their own stories using SavetheInternet.com’s comment action tool.

Sen. Olympia Snowe

Earlier today, Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) added their voices. In a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, the senators stated that Net Neutrality is “crucial to the democracy and economic growth of the United States.”

They urged Martin to heed the thousands of comments from small business owners, single moms, students, bloggers, concerned citizens, political candidates, social services workers, green thumbs, dog lovers, an Esperanto enthusiasts and others who are concerned that discrimination from phone and cable companies would “substantially harm their online experience.”

Snowe and Dorgan write:

“When users log onto the Internet, they take a lot of things for granted. They assume that they will be able to access whatever Web site they want, when they want to — and if they have a good broadband connection, they expect this to happen at a high speed, regardless of what Web site they choose. They also assume that they can use any feature they like, anytime they choose — watching online videos, searching for information, making purchases, and sending emails and instant messages. What they are assuming is Internet Freedom, the principle at the core of the Internet’s DNA. The idea is that the Internet should be open and free, restricted by no one.”

Sen. Byron Dorgan

According to the senators, these assumptions are no longer safe. In 2005, the FCC removed the nondiscrimination rules that had guaranteed Net Neutrality since the Internet’s inception. “We urge the Commission to take affirmative action to reinstate the rules that enabled the Internet to flourish,” they conclude.

Snowe and Dorgan are the authors of a bill in Senate that would accomplish just that. The bipartisan “Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2007” would ensure that Internet users enjoy competitive and affordable services without telecommunications companies using their networks to distort the Web’s marketplace of ideas.

In their letter to the FCC Chairman Martin, Sens. Snowe and Dorgan note several instances where phone and cable companies state their intention to discriminate online — favoring the content of one business or Web site over that of others — despite their repeated claims in the media to the contrary.

“If there were a competitive broadband market we would not need to be as concerned about the discriminatory intentions of some providers,” they write. In America’s Internet marketplace, phone and cable companies have a 96 percent share of the residential market for broadband.

The senators conclude:

“Given the lack of broadband competition, the ability and incentive of broadband providers to discriminate among content providers, the public statements from executives of leading broadband providers, and the concerns of Internet users across the country, we are confident the FCC will gain a better understanding of the necessity to protect Internet freedom.”

You would think that this filing, added to the deluge of pro-neutrality comments from the public, would compel the FCC to make the right decision.

Stay tuned.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 6:28 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.