WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Jim DeMint (R-SC) circulated a letter to their colleagues stating their opposition to proposed legislative efforts to regulate or even prohibit fees that may be sought by broadband companies from content providers for the high-speed transmission of content over the Internet.

"In the absence of heavy-handed government regulation, the Internet has grown and innovated rapidly," said Brownback. "So-called 'network neutrality' legislation would be anything but neutral, punishing broadband access providers for innovation and competition. Given the billions of dollars broadband access providers have invested in creating and maintaining Internet infrastructure, it is reasonable for them to request that content providers pay their fair share for the services they use."

At stake is a proposal from broadband providers to charge Internet content providers for their use of high-speed broadband lines. Such fees would be legal under current telecommunications regulations and laws.

Following is the text of the letter:

"We are writing to you today in connection with the issue of 'network neutrality.' Opposing the heavy hand of regulation that network neutrality represents is critical if we are to maintain the Internet as an open, evolving, and market-based tool, and to protect children and families from the negative aspects of Internet content that exist today.

"Currently, broadband access providers - our nation's telephone, cable television, and wireless companies - are spending billions of dollars to deploy broadband, and have plans to spend billions more on the next generation of broadband networks. These investments include new technologies that will greatly improve everyone's Internet experience, further empowering our ability to use it for entertainment, political, religious, and educational purposes. These technologies also hold the promise of providing parents with new tools to protect their children and families as they explore online.

"Unfortunately, some online content providers have used fear and misinformation to argue that strong network neutrality regulations - to be enforced, presumably, by virtually unaccountable bureaucrats - are needed in response to investments by broadband access providers. Preferring that all Internet content be treated the same, instead of being required to compete for consumer attention, network neutrality advocates allege that broadband access providers will use next-generation broadband technologies to choke off the free flow of information online, speech they disagree with in particular.

"Common experience with the Internet to date suggests precisely the opposite. Innovation and competition, unmarred by excessive government regulation, have created a vibrant Internet for all Americans. In this context, network neutrality would be anything but neutral. It effectively would penalize broadband access providers for making major improvements to the Internet and would reward online content providers who demand regulation in order to tip the scales of Internet competition in their favor. It also threatens to deprive parents of new technologies they may use to protect their families from online harm. We therefore urge you to oppose legislative efforts to impose network neutrality."

Senator Brownback is a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Judiciary Committee.

   
Sam Brownback
United States Senator - Kansas
303 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6521
http://www.brownback.senate.gov
http://senatorsambrownback.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sam-Brownback/16280830222
http://www.youtube.com/senatorsambrownback
http://www.twitter.com/sensambrownback