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When the astroturfs come out in support of a Congressional vote - it's a good sign there's something terribly wrong with the legislation. Below are press releases from several phone company front groups, including: Hands Off The Internet, TV4US Coalition, Video Access Alliance and Telecommunications Industry Association

from: Public Knowledge

A Day At the Senate Commerce Committee
Submitted by Art Brodsky on June 28, 2006 - 9:40pm.

We hope by now you’ve heard the news, that the Senate Commerce Committee earlier today approved new telecom legislation, 15-7. Along the way, the pivotal Snowe-Dorgan amendment on Net Neutrality lost on a tie vote, 11-11, with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) voting with the Democrats. In baseball, a tie goes to the runner, but not here.

from: San Francisco Chronicle

Net neutrality amendment dies
Telecommunications bill goes to Senate without provision sought by Web firms
Tom Abate, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, June 29, 2006

In a dramatic tie vote Wednesday, a U.S. Senate committee rejected an amendment that would have preserved the status quo of equal pricing for all Internet traffic, an issue known as network neutrality.

from: Seattle Times

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Guest columnist
Telecom bill would leave U.S. lagging behind rest of world
By Michael Weisman

The new telecommunications bill before Sen. Ted Stevens' Senate Commerce Committee this week has been touted as reform of the cable-franchise laws. But it is much, much more. The bill is really a wholesale rewrite of the Telecommunications Act of 1934, the world's oldest existing telecom law. It is probably the most important piece of legislation the Congress will take up this session.

from: Hollywood Reporter

June 29, 2006

Senate panel on side of telecoms Rejects net neutrality provision

By Brooks Boliek

WASHINGTON -- Legislation making it easier for the phone companies to get into the video business cleared a major hurdle Wednesday when the Senate Commerce Committee approved legislation setting nationwide cable franchise requirements.

from: MSNBC

US Senate panel backs telco bill, no Net neutrality

By Jeremy Pelofsky
Updated: 1 hour, 11 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee approved sweeping communications reform legislation Wednesday that would make it easier for telephone companies like AT&T Inc. to offer subscription television to consumers.

from: MultiChannel News

Senate Panel Defeats Net Neutrality

By Ted Hearn 6/28/2006 12:53:00 PM

Washington -- The Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday rejected a network neutrality amendment, handing cable and phone broadband access providers yet another victory over a coalition that has demanded the application of strict nondiscrimination standards against entities that control access to millions of Internet users.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Ben Scott, Free Press Policy Director, 301-801-5618
Jeannine Kenney, Consumers Union Senior Policy Analyst, 202-238-9249

June 28, 2006

Fight for Internet Freedom Moves to Senate Floor

Free Press, Consumers Union and Consumer Federation of America Respond to Senate Commerce Committee Tie Vote on Net Neutrality

WASHINGTON - The Senate Commerce Committee fell a single vote short of passing an amendment to safeguard the free and open Internet as momentum builds toward a full Senate vote on Net Neutrality.

from: National Journal
Technology Daily

Panel Progresses On Telecom Bill; ‘Network Neutrality’ Is Next Up

By Drew Clark

(Tuesday, June 27) Meeting in an all-day markup, the Senate Commerce Committee plowed through dozens of amendments to telecommunications overhaul legislation authored by Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska -- but deferred action on the most controversial items until Wednesday.

RELEASE: Senate Commerce Committee Reaffirms Low Power Radio Service
CONTACT: Hannah Sassaman, hannahjs@prometheusradio.org, 215-727-9620 Pete Tridish petri@prometheusradio.org, 215-605-9297

On June 28th, advocates of low power FM (LPFM) radio, a service used by churches, schools, activist organizations, emergency responders, and hundreds of communities, applauded the Senate Commerce Committee's vote to expand the low power FM radio service. The vote approved an amendment to a major telecommunications bill currently before the Commerce Committee. This vote marks a major step towards the expansion of low power FM radio to the large cities of the United States, and potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of other communities across this country. The vote also affirms the Commerce Committee's previous support of LPFM in 2004 and 2005.