MURPHY SIGNS LETTER TO FCC
Steven Shepperd
ccSCOOP News
06-02-10 - 1:00 p.m. - On Monday, May 24, Congressman Scott Murphy was among 74 House Democrats who signed on to an industry-backed letter urging the Federal Communications Commission to abandon its efforts to ensure that broadband consumers receive protection against anticompetitive or unreasonable conduct by broadband providers.
In a statement issued earlier in May, FCC Chairman Genachowski outlined a broad framework of protections (collectively known as the Broadband Policy Agenda) that the FCC would seek to adopt. This set of protections would bring enforceability to the concept of network (or simply net) neutrality—preventing Internet providers from unreasonably restricting, tailoring, or “shaping” network traffic without their clients’ knowledge.
The provisions of net neutrality have been hotly contested in political circles. Large Internet providers have long employed Washington lobbyists to defend their right not only to charge their broadband clients for the bandwidth they receive but also potentially to charge content providers such as Google and Facebook to deliver online products to their network clients. Content providers and net neutrality advocates claim this represents “double billing” on the part of ISPs (Internet Service Providers). It also raises the specter that the same ISPs could willfully “shape” Internet traffic to restrict or prevent access to some websites, while promoting access to others. Net neutrality would enforce the concept that network traffic should not be subject to ISP-imposed restrictions of any sort.
In areas where broadband access is provided by a single telecom provider, net neutrality provisions become even more important. Consumers could be effectively censored from viewing certain sites or receiving ISP-restricted content, without having any effective recourse. In a place like Columbia County, for example, most broadband in a given area is delivered by a single provider.
President Obama has voiced support of net neutrality initiatives and has backed the efforts of FCC Chairman Genachowski to make its provisions enforceable. Conversely, the Republican minority in Congress has repeatedly asserted that net neutrality provisions would restrict private enterprise and limit industry investment in new infrastructure.
Of the 74 members of Congress who signed the letter, roughly half were Blue Dog Democrats—Democrats who hold “moderate-to-conservative views” and see themselves as “promoting positions which bridge the gap between ideological extremes.” Congressman Murphy has allied himself with the Blue Dog Coalition. Of the ten New York congressmen who signed the letter only one other— Michael Arcuri, who represents the 24th Congressional District—is officially aligned with the Blue Dogs.
The web-based network neutrality watchdog organization FreePress.net has published a list of the anti-net neutrality letter signers, with the amounts of telecom industry lobbyist money each signer has accepted. According to the list, Congressman Murphy has accepted contributions totaling $17,000 from telecommunications interests. CredoAction.com goes further, stating: “Not only is this letter an attack on net neutrality, but by signing the industry letter, your member of Congress is attempting to drastically undercut the FCC's ability to make a fast, affordable and open Internet available to everyone in America—he is actually taking a position against the interests of rural and low-income communities.”
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Congressman Murphy at the opening of his Hudson headquarters in June 2009. |
When asked for comment, Congressman Murphy’s office issued the following statement:
“Scott Murphy signed the letter to the FCC because he believes that Congress must have a role in encouraging innovation and the development of high-speed, reliable broadband Internet access for all of his constituents. This letter does not mean that Congressman Murphy has taken a position against net neutrality. The Internet continues to become an increasingly important element of our economic development, and he will continue to fight to bring broadband access to communities throughout the 20th District.”
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