July 31, 2009: REPS. MARKEY, ESHOO INTRODUCE BILL TO PRESERVE FREE AND OPEN INTERNET
Washington, D.C. – Reps. Edward J. Markey
(D-MA) and Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) introduced a bill today that will establish
overarching national broadband policy and ensures an open and consumer oriented
Internet.
“The Internet is a
success today because it was open to everyone with an idea,” said
Rep. Markey. “That openness and freedom has
been at risk since the Supreme Court decision in Brand X. This bill will
protect consumers and content providers because it will restore the guarantee
that one does not have to ask permission to
innovate.”
“The Internet has
thrived and revolutionized business and the economy precisely because it started
as an open technology,” Rep. Eshoo said. “This bill will ensure that the non-discriminatory
framework that allows the Internet to thrive and competition on the Web to
flourish is preserved at a time when our economy needs it the
most.”
H.R. 3458, the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, is
designed to assess and promote Internet freedom for consumers and content
providers. The bill states that it is the policy of the United States to
protect the right of consumers to access lawful content, run lawful
applications, and use lawful services of their choice on the Internet while
preserving and promoting the open and interconnected nature of broadband
networks, enabling consumers to connect to such networks their choice of lawful
devices, as long as such devices do not harm the network. The legislation also
directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate several rules
relating to enforcement and implementation of the legislation, including rules
to ensure that providers of Internet access service fulfill the duties and
disclose meaningful information to consumers about a provider’s Internet access
service in clear, uniform, and conspicuous manner. H.R. 3458 makes clear that
it does not prohibit an Internet access provider from engaging in
reasonable network management consistent with the policies and duties of
nondiscrimination and openness set forth in the bill, nor does the legislation
affect any law or regulation addressing prohibited or unlawful activity,
including any laws or regulations prohibiting theft of
content.
Rep. Markey introduced similar Internet freedom
legislation in the 110th Congress, H.R. 5353, which Rep. Eshoo also
co-sponsored. In the 109th Congress, Rep. Markey offered a net
neutrality amendment to the COPE Act in May 2006.
