Markey: Net-Neutrality Bill Still Necessary
House Telecommunications & Internet Subcommittee Chairman Praises Comcast, BitTorrent But Says Congress Must Still Step In
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/27/2008 10:01:00 AM
House Telecommunications & Internet Subcommittee chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) praised the agreement between Comcast and BitTorrent to work together toward a solution to the distribution of media-rich, bandwidth-heavy content over the Internet, but he said it did not obviate the need for open-access legislation, which he has proposed.
While he said he commended the parties and the Federal Communications Commission for "exercising its jurisdiction," he also pointed out that the agreement "does not include any statement by Comcast that it concedes that the FCC has authority to act in this area to protect Internet freedom."
He added that he saw a "continuing need" for Congress to step in so that "all broadband providers and affected providers of content, applications, and services are covered."
Markey introduced a bill that would enshrine the FCC's open-access guidelines in the law, although in language that was still general enough to be open to interpretation.
