The net neutrality fight: Lawmakers propose bill to ban ‘paid prioritization’ of web traffic

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/06/17/the-net-neutrality-fight-lawmakers-propose-bill-to-ban-paid-prioritization-of-web-traffic/



The net neutrality fight: Lawmakers propose bill to ban ‘paid prioritization’ of web traffic
By Reuters
Tuesday, June 17, 2014 12:59 EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday introduced legislation in the Senate and the House of Representatives to ban deals where Web content companies could pay Internet service providers to deliver their traffic to users faster and more reliably.

The bicameral bill by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Representative Doris Matsui of California comes as the Federal Communications Commission is collecting public comments on new “net neutrality” rules.

The FCC’s proposed rules, up for public comment until September 10, prohibit Internet providers from blocking or slowing down access to websites but may let them charge content companies to prioritize their traffic as long as such deals are deemed “commercially reasonable.”

The proposal, however, also seeks comment on whether all or some such pay-for-priority deals should also be banned.