US senator introduces law for weakened form of net neutrality
US Republican Senator John Kennedy has introduced a bill that seems to guarantee net neutrality only at a basic level. Blocking or slowing down internet traffic is prohibited, but that doesn’t seem to apply to fast lanes.
The senator states that his so-called Open Internet Preservation Act will protect consumers from ISPs in the sense that they are not allowed to slow down, monitor or block internet traffic. He does not mention many more prohibitions and specific rules; This probably leaves room for parties to pay priority over other internet traffic, for example in the form of fast lanes.
According to Kennedy, cable companies and content providers will not be happy with the law because his new rules will prohibit them from blocking or slowing down internet traffic, but Kennedy acknowledges it is a compromise. He realizes the proposal won’t solve or address every problem in the net neutrality debate, but he calls it a “good start” and calls on Democrats to work with him on a permanent solution.
According to Free Press, this law is far too restrictive, because the proposal would give the FCC few possibilities to act against future violations by ISPs. In addition, the proposal would also ensure that individual states are not allowed to introduce their own net neutrality rules, something that was already part of the FCC’s abolition of neutrality. The organization calls Kennedy’s proposal a “cynical attempt” that will only create “fake protections” and maintain monopolies.
Should Kennedy’s new proposal gain reasonable support among his Republican colleagues in the Senate, it won’t be easier for Democrats to reinstate the old situation with the strict Obama-era net neutrality rules.
Democratic senators are trying to gain support for that and want to force a vote in the spring on a resolution to roll back the abolition of net neutrality. The Senate has had public support for this resolution from all 49 Democrats and one Republican for some time, but it needs at least one more vote and then the resolution will also have to pass the Republican-dominated House of Representatives.
The House of Representatives has previously submitted a proposal that is largely similar to Kennedy’s plan, which involves a watered-down form of net neutrality. According to Engadget, this proposal by Republican Marsha Blackburn has received little support so far.