House Energy and Commerce Telecommunications and the Internet
Subcommittee Chairman Edward Markey, D-Mass., is still seeking a
Republican co-sponsor of a network neutrality bill he hopes to
introduce next month.
The bill will be aimed at preventing communications giants
such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon Communications from blocking
or degrading competing content or services carried over their
high-speed Internet networks.
Sources said Markey has delayed introducing the bill since
December partly to give himself more time to find backers from
both parties. His office did not return calls.
The observers said Markey has been courting the support of
Reps. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., and Charles (Chip) Pickering,
R-Miss., each of whom has expressed support for net neutrality.
“The only communication our office has received is a Dear
Colleague letter” from Markey, a Wilson spokesman said.
“He has been approached about the legislation [and] he is
considering it,” a spokesman for Pickering said.
Both lawmakers plan to retire from the House this year.
Wilson is in a tight race with Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., to
fill the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M.
Markey apparently will need all the support he can muster
because many observers say the bill faces tough odds.
Two years ago, his proposal to impose network neutrality
rules was rebuffed three times — at the subcommittee and full
committee levels and on the House floor.
“At the end of the day, I don’t think legislation is going to
be enacted this year,” said David Kaut, a telecommunications
analyst at the investment firm Stifel Nicolaus.
He cited several reasons, including the lack of consensus and
the difficulty of determining when reasonable network management
amounts to discriminatory behavior.
The bill is emerging as alleged neutrality violations by
AT&T, Comcast and Verizon have garnered national headlines.
The issue has been complicated by the growth of wireless
broadband and more use of bandwidth-heavy applications that pose
capacity challenges for networks.
The FCC recently announced that it will investigate the
accusations against Comcast. With the FCC monitoring the
situation and companies pulling back when concerns arise, Kaut
said, “that takes away the real catalyst for congressional
legislation.”
Meanwhile, support among Internet and technology companies
for neutrality safeguards appears to have diminished from its
peak in 2006, when the subject was central to contentious
telecom legislation. By David Hatch.