poto

(AP) - Two Senators on Friday called for a congressional hearing to investigate reports that phone and cable companies are unfairly stifling communications over the Internet and on cell phones.

Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said the incidents involving several companies, including Comcast Corp., Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., have raised serious concerns over the companies' "power to discriminate against content."

They want the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to investigate whether such incidents were based on legitimate business policies or unfair and anticompetitive practices and if more federal regulation is needed.

"The phone and cable companies have previously stated that they would never use their market power to operate as content gatekeepers and have called efforts to put rules in place to protect consumers 'a solution in search of a problem,'" they said in a letter to Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, the committee's chairman.

A committee spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter.

An Associated Press report on Oct. 19 detailed how Comcast Corp. was interfering with file sharing by some of its Internet subscribers. The AP found instances in some areas of the country where traffic was blocked or delayed significantly.

Comcast _ the nation's No. 2 Internet provider _ has acknowledged "delaying" some subscriber Internet data, but said the delays are temporary and intended to improve surfing for other users.

Verizon Wireless in late September denied a request by Naral Pro-Choice America, an abortion rights group, to use its mobile network for a sign-up text messaging program.

The company reversed course just a day later, calling it a mistake and an "isolated incident."

AT&T reportedly changed a service agreement that previously included language permitting the company to cancel accounts of Internet users who disparage the company.

Several lawmakers, including Dorgan, earlier this year introduced so-called legislation promoting "Net neutrality," which is the principle that all Internet traffic be treated equally by carriers.

Equal treatment of traffic is long-standing practice on the Internet. The legislation is a response to suggestions by phone companies that they would like charge Web sites extra for preferential treatment of their traffic.

Verizon Wireless is a joint venture between Verizon Communications Inc. and Britain-based Vodafone Group PLC.

source: Umbrella News - Business - Financial News

pussyluver

AT&T Sucks. So there. Used to get pissed at their commercials, now I just laugh. Problem is, the rest are fucked up too.

Your government wants to filter content, can't stand the idea of someone else doing it.... Also waiting for a big litigation over one of the carries allowing c/p or porn or whatever over their copper/fiber...

Maybe I have an attitude problem? ya think?

poto

yea, I agree AT&T does suck monkey balls... I refuse to use em...

tbh, I'm not sure what will become of this... on the one hand I'm not a fan of censorship... but then you have Comcast filtering out Torrent traffic, which is probably good for the adult industry and helping us out... of course if they extend censorship to include legal adult sites, that would really suck... seems like a fine line to walk...

pussyluver

Fine line for sure when it comes to filtering content. For that reason, I prefer the net to be left open. Hard to hold that point of view as I goolge and find myself having to restart IE cause of some scumware. Add that to the torrent sites and other crap that steal from us.

poto

true... in theory I'd like a completely open and free internet...

but in practice, I'm here trying to make a living... and if filtering out Torrents will help me make 10 or 20 more sales this month, then I'm all for it... doubt it'll happen that way, but I can always hope