WASHINGTON, DC — Partisan political differences were in clear sight on Wednesday when an 8-to-23 majority in the Republican-controlled House Energy and Commerce subcommittee voted against a Democratic-backed “Net neutrality” amendment.The amendment, part of a larger piece of telecommunication legislation, would have imposed expansive rules on broadband internet providers and denied them the opportunity to extend quicker-speed streaming video services to affiliates and/or partners.
Although championed by companies including Amazon.com, eBay, Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! and declared by chief executive officers as “critical,” Republicans expressed extreme skepticism that the need for such legislation, as well as concern over the possible implications for FCC power.
A letter about the issue signed by the American Conservative Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, the National Taxpayers Union, and former Majority Leader Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks expressed fears that the proposal would allow the FCC to “exercise complete discretion over the Internet.” The groups also cautioned that “the vague terminology could lead to an explosion of litigation, which would, in turn, deter capital investments in technology and thwart the evolution of the Internet.”
Amercans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist was especially uncomfortable with the idea that network neutrality would start the country “down the dangerous path of Internet regulation.”
Ultimately, the high tech scenario provides a stage for classic Republican/Democratic philosophical differences about the place of government in the development of the market to play out. Republicans traditionally adhere to a belief that government should have a light touch, allowing businesses and industries to sort out their policies and procedures. In this case, Republicans promote an environment where broadband providers could custom design their networks according to their customer base needs, prioritizing more bandwidth intensive traffic types, which includes streaming video.
According to a CNET News.com interview with Verizon chief technology officer Mark Wegleitner, being able to prioritize traffic streams will make it more fiscally viable for providers to offer such services.
Ultimately, after a day of debate, the proposal went to committee and earned a 27-to-4 vote to approve the bill sans the Democrats’ amendment. Full committee consideration is expected in late April.
Democrats were understandably disappointed, painting the future in grim terms. “I think this walled garden approach that many network providers would like to create would fundamentally change the way the Internet works and undermine the power of the Net as a force of innovation and change,” California Representative Anna Eshoo warned.
