Markey Net Neutrality Act of 2006

Rep. Ed Markey, of my home state of Massachusetts, introduced the Net Neutrality Act of 2006 on the House floor today. For those of you who have no idea what net neutrality is all about or what losing it would mean, Rep. Markey explains it very cleary and concisely, in every day language that all non-geek people can clearly understand. It is most definitely worth a read because opponents are plastering false and misleading information and arguments all over the place. Disposing of net neutrality would be a real windfall to corporations like Comcast or Verizon. The internet is supposed to be a democratic place. One site is not more important or more accessible than another. With the introduction of a tiered internet and paying structures that give special consideration to some sites over others (based on money paid), we have a sure ticket to creating an internet class system. That’s wrong. It’s greedy. It’s regressive. And it’s unnecessary. I, for one, want to prevent that from happening. I support Rep. Markey’s Net Neutrality Act which, finally and importantly, defines net neutrality and our protections from overarching corporate greed.

In a nutshell, this is what Markey’s bill proposes:

This network neutrality bill has essentially three parts. The first part articulates overall broadband policy and network neutrality goals for the country, and spells out exactly what network neutrality means and puts it into the statute so that it will possess the force of law. The second part embodies reasonable exceptions to the general rules, such as to route emergency communications or offer consumer protection features, such as spam blocking technology. And the final part of the bill features an expedited complaint process to deal with grievances and violations within thirty days.

Read Markey’s introduction that he presented to the House. It’s very informative and leads to no doubts at all about what he means and what net neutrality means. The pdf of the bill is available at the bottom of the page linked above.

AlterNet also has more information on the matter with additional links of interest and actions you can take.