Net Neutrality Goes Schoolhouse Rock

It's not "Conjunction Junction" and, to the consternation of many, it may not be "I'm Just a Bill."  Regardless, Net Neutrality is blowing up so large it's got it's own cartoon (okay, it's more like a well animated PowerPoint presentation).  Check it out after the jump below along with all sorts of Net Neutrality happenings...

As we note in our weekly run down of DC tech policy events, there's a fairly balanced Net Neutrality hearing tomorrow:

2:00PM - House Judiciary Committee - Full committee's Task Force on Telecom and Antitrust holds hearing on "Network Neutrality: Competition, Innovation and Nondiscriminatory Access." Witnesses: Paul Misener, vice president of global public policy, Amazon.com; Earl Comstock, president and CEO, COMPTEL; Walter McCormick, president and CEO, United States Telecom Assn.; and Timothy Wu, professor of law, Columbia Law School  Location: 2141 Rayburn House Office Building.

The telcos have hired former Clinton Press Secretary Mike McCurry to lead the group "Hands off the Internet".  Here's an op-ed he wrote in the Washington Times (which, we doubt gave McCurry much opportunities to publish his opinions when Clinton was in office).

Meanwhile a pro-Net Neutrality group called "Save the Internet" officially launched today and bashed McCurry's coalition.  Save the Internet is a strange bedfellow collective of activist groups from all sides of the political spectrum.

Om Malik isn't all that impressed and thinks:

While the campaign tries to reach out to Joe & Jane Citizen, the leading web companies are not taking the issue seriously. In reality they should be reaching out to Silicon Valley. Everytime I have a chat with folks in the Valley, there seems to be little awareness of this issue.

Similarly, the start-ups that are most likely to affected seem to be in the dark as well. Niall and I have discussed this time and again in our pod sessions. And its the big web companies who have to step up and state their position on this issue, and not just pay lip service.

Indeed, we've wondered here whether the Web 2.0 players just expect Google and eBay to carry their water for them.

Though, speaking of the big boys, there is one tech company that can actually effectively let others draft in its wake with its Washington skills and deep government affairs bench.  And, that's Intel.  We haven't seen this covered anywhere else besides National Journal's Tech Daily (sub required), but, last week, Intel moved from a neutral position on the issue to one that sides with the Web firms.  Drew Clark wrote:

The most significant development in the industry is that Intel is switching from a neutral position to actively join Google, Microsoft and Yahoo in "working within the coalition of companies trying to develop and drive the tech neutrality position," according to industry sources.
     That tech group is set to brief aides to the Senate Commerce Committee, House Judiciary Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee on Monday and Tuesday. "We will be there," said Peter Pitsch of Intel.

Oh, and here's the Public Knowledge one-sided Net Neutrality primer (you would think that, all considered, YouTube would feature it....)

Comments

[cheap jordans]

Thanks you for your support, all the information is just what i need.

[Joe]

I liked Google a lot when I heard about it sometime in the last dedcae. Clearly some nerds with a clue. Dramatic difference to then-synonym-for-search Altavista. Recommended you to friends.I stopped liking you when I heard that you store searches (and all data you can get your hands on) forever. This is very sensitive data, and extremely scary, because it allows to see to a good deal what I think about. It doesn't belong in the hands of anybody, not even NSA or FBI, not EU governments, and not your log files either.Since then, I increasingly avoid Google for that reason. 6-12 months ago, I found that Yahoo search improved a lot and are using that instead now.

[Linda]

Thanks for opening up the comntmes here. One of your policies is to sometimes censor content when local laws and regulations require it. In a future post, can you tell us which legal/ technical channels censorship requests in Germany, France & China go through before they are implemented by you in local versions of Google?

[Aneta]

Thanks for your post. I would also like to say a health insurance brokerage also works for the benefit of the actual coordinators of a group insurance coverage. The health broker is given a list of benefits sought by an individual or a group coordinator. Exactly what a broker can is seek out individuals and also coordinators which best match those wants. Then he presents his recommendations and if both sides agree, the broker formulates a binding agreement between the 2 parties.

[Mediation]

Really studying your website ought to come in handy too along with comments. Many individuals only put down any "thank you" and move ahead. Not beneficial. Arguing can be awesome, however i don't attention whether or not an individual argue until you inform me precisely why and backup your situation. The thoughts and opinions (or perhaps my very own) tend to be useless with out a few reasoned quarrels and (ideally) specifics. Mediation http://www.bulkping.com/rss-feed-generator-creator/feed/c6f5b87b4febb16827b90a6565d9e51b.xml

[Page Molina]

I really like it when individuals get together and share thoughts. Great blog, keep it up!

[Easter Micalizzi]

An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment. I do believe that you ought to write more about this topic, it might not be a taboo subject but typically people don't talk about these topics. To the next! Kind regards!!

[Crystal Robinsons]

Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you penning this article and also the rest of the website is extremely good.

[Angila Durham]

Aw, this was an exceptionally nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to produce a good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a lot and never manage to get nearly anything done.

[Argentina Grabau]

Pretty! This has been a really wonderful article. Thank you for providing this info.

[Reginia Cauthorne]

I’m impressed, I must say. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and entertaining, and without a doubt, you've hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that too few people are speaking intelligently about. Now i'm very happy that I came across this during my search for something regarding this.

[Asbestos-Mesothelioma]

Fantastic goods. Proceed outstanding work Asbestos-Mesothelioma http://serendipitywinesandliquors.com/?page_id=2

[Irma Papale]

May I simply say what a comfort to uncover someone that truly understands what they're discussing on the net. You definitely realize how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people have to read this and understand this side of your story. It's surprising you are not more popular given that you surely have the gift.

[warszawaprzeprowadzki]

I’d must test with you here. Which isn't something I usually do! I get pleasure from reading a publish that will make folks think. Additionally, thanks for permitting me to comment!

[Helena]

It is the best time to make some plans for the future and it's time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I want to suggest you some interesting things or advice. Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article. I want to read more things about it!

[Grazyna]

Very interesting topic, thanks for posting.

[Natasza]

Some genuinely choice content on this internet site , saved to bookmarks .