Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006

COMMUNICATIONS OPPORTUNITY, PROMOTION, AND ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - June 08, 2006)

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Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Chairman, I salute my colleagues, Congressmen Dingell, Markey, Inslee, and Boucher, and Congresswoman Eshoo for their leadership on this issue of vital importance to the future. I also want to recognize the leadership of Congressman John Conyers and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren for their work on Net Neutrality in the Judiciary Committee.

HISTORY

When Lewis and Clark made their historic journey of discovery two centuries ago, information could only travel as fast as a horse could run or a boat could sail. Now information travels in an instant. And just as railroads and highways did in the past, broadband has dramatically increased the productivity and efficiency of our economy and will continue to do so in the future. It has created jobs today, and will create even more jobs tomorrow.

INNOVATION AGENDA

Last fall, House Democrats introduced our Innovation Agenda: A Commitment to Competitiveness to Keep America Number One. In that Agenda, we have called for affordable broadband access for every American within 5 years.

INTERNET

The reason we want to bring broadband to everyone is because that key infrastructure brings the Internet to everyone. In turn, the Internet brings us the world--a world of information, communications, and commerce. The Internet brings us the future.

Since its inception, the Internet has been characterized by its openness--its freedom. That freedom has enabled innovation to flourish.

Magnificent disrupters like Jerry Yang of Yahoo! and Larry Page and Sergey Brin from Google built businesses based on big ideas, bringing spectacular new innovations and services to billions of users.

NET NEUTRALITY

About a year ago, the FCC and the Courts changed the way the Internet is regulated.

Due to that change, there could be the equivalent of new taxes on electronic commerce.

Telecommunications and cable companies are now able to create toll lanes on the information superhighway, essentially permitting new, discriminatory fees--a new broadband bottleneck tax--on Web-based businesses to reach consumers.

This strikes at the heart of the free and equal nature of the Internet and would fundamentally change the way the Internet currently works.

America's small businesses and entrepreneurs could be left in the slow lane with inferior Internet service, unable to compete with the big corporations that can pay Internet providers toll charges to be in the fast lane. Bloggers, our citizen journalists, could be silenced by skyrocketing costs to post and share video and audio clips.

The Markey amendment will prevent those toll lanes. The Markey amendment will allow the innovative tradition of the Internet to continue by enacting protections that ensure all consumers are able to access any content they wish with the same broadband speed and performance. The Markey amendment will preserve the equality, openness, and innovation of the Internet that has defined it since its first days.

CONCLUSION

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the future, to vote in favor of Net Neutrality by supporting the Markey amendment.

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