A Filibuster to Save Net Neutrality?
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Written By Reprise Media | June 30, 2006 | Share This
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An amendment to enshrine net neutrality in the 2006 telecomunications bill failed in a Senate committee earlier this week. However, says Ars Technica, one senator is threatening to pull a Jimmy Stewart to block the bill on the senate floor unless net neutrality finds its way back into it.
Oregon senator Ron Wyden sent out an email Wednesday saying that he’s placed a hold on the telco bill. Here’s a snip:
“The days of unfettered, unlimited and free access to any site on the world wide web, what I call net neutrality, are being threatened…Those who own the pipes, the giant cable and phone companies, want to discriminate on which sites you can access. The inclusion of this provision compels me to inform my colleagues that I would object to any unanimous consent request for the United States Senate to move to consider this bill.”
Wyden might be having an Al-Gore-invented-the-Internet moment in there with the part about “what I call net neutrality,” but his announcement appears to be more than grandstanding. Alaska’s Ted Stevens, the bill’s sponsor, doubts he can muster the 60 votes it would take to counter a filibuster.
So does that mean the whole huge piece of legislation faces extinction? Possibly. Alternatively, amendments can be added or removed during floor debates; for instance, Ars Technica notes that New Hampshire’s John Sununu would like to take a crack at deleting the Broadcast Flag provision, which would allow broadcasters to send digital signals that could prevent TV shows from being recorded. So while language to protect net neutrality could be added on, there’s still a distinct possibility that the whole kit and caboodle will be nixed.
Topics: Legal Issues |