‘Net neutrality’ issue hits Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON — A massive effort by Internet users to prohibit telephone and cable companies from providing better service and prices to preferred customers failed to get through a Senate committee on Wednesday.

After three days of debate, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved a bill intended to let phone companies and other telecommunications providers better compete in video markets now monopolized by cable companies.

The measure faces an uncertain future because of the controversy over “net neutrality” — how to ensure that consumers and Internet content providers continue having open and nondiscriminatory access to the Internet.

The committee rejected an amendment by Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., that would prohibit phone and cable companies from limiting access to their high-speed Internet networks based on site content or financial arrangements. The vote was 11-11, and ties defeat proposed amendments.

Supporters argued that service providers could give preferential treatment to business partners or use pricing and access limits to discriminate between Web sites and other Internet users.

“What’s at stake is the Internet in the 21st century,” said Snowe, the only Republican to vote for the amendment.

During the week, the net neutrality amendment became a minor bone of contention in Washington state’s Senate race. Democratic incumbent Maria Cantwell, a co-sponsor of the amendment, said consumers were the “big losers” with the final bill.

“Protecting consumer rights should have been the first priority, but sadly, this bill doesn’t meet the mark,” Cantwell said in a prepared statement after voting against the final bill.

Mike McGavick, her chief Republican opponent, would have voted against the Snowe-Dorgan proposal, his staff said, but has “an open mind” on the alternative which the committee did pass. He prefers language already passed by the House, which rejected net neutrality.

“Our concern is with regulating a problem that doesn’t exist yet,” McGavick spokesman Elliot Bundy said.

Democrats pounced on McGavick’s stance, saying he was opposed to legislation supported by consumer advocates and two of the state’s big employers, Amazon.com and Microsoft.

Hundreds of interest groups, ranging from the Christian Coalition to Moveon.org., also asked Congress for net neutrality protection. Phone and cable companies say the Snowe-Dorgan proposal would stifle investment in broadband technology by restricting what they could charge customers.

The committee chairman, Sen. Ted Stevens, said the legislation would require regulators to preserve the free flow of ideas and information on the Internet by ensuring access to legal content. Stevens, R-Alaska, also said the House would not accept a measure with the net neutrality language.