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GUEST: Timothy Karr, Campaign Director with Free Press

Last week, a Senate chairman had strong disagreements with the Federal Trade Commission over the ongoing issue of net neutrality. Democratic North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan advocated for the continuance of net neutrality with his net-neutrality bill before the commerce committee, while the Federal Trade Commission chairwoman Deborah Majoras argued that such legislation would hamper the market and consumers alike. Internet service providers, such as AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast are opposed to net neutrality and would like to see the establishment of a tiered system of rate based internet access. Proponents of net neutrality would like to provide equal access to all websites on the internet. While the bill co-sponsored by Senator Dorgan to maintain net neutrality is currently stalled, the Department of Justice has weighed in on the debate. Though the formal comment period had long expired, the DOJ filed at the Federal Communications Commission against net neutrality on September 6th. As one of the last acts of the DOJ under former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales It was argued by the Departments Antitrust division that net neutrality could hamper the innovations and upgrades of internet service providers. The media advocacy group Free Press filed a freedom of information request in hopes of bringing to light possible motivations for the late filing. The group is still awaiting a reply to the request.

For more information, visit www.savetheinternet.com and www.freepress.org