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from: National Journal - Technology Daily

Bid To Pre-Empt State Laws Draws Controversy For Senate Telecom Bill

By Drew Clark

(Tuesday, June 20) Democrats are deeply troubled by a last-minute attempt to pre-empt state law under the latest draft of Senate telecommunications legislation authored by Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.

from: MultiChannel News

Inouye Rips New Stevens Draft Bill
By Ted Hearn6/19/2006 2:05:00 PM

Washington – The top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee Monday refused to endorse the newest version of a sweeping telecommunications bill sponsored by chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), calling the third draft released last Friday “a further step backward for consumers.”

$200 Billion Broadband Scandal is NOW a free download for
ONE WEEK ONLY starting TUESDAY, June 20th. 2006

http://www.teletruth.org/docs/BROADBANDSCANDAL.pdf

Senate Should Stop and Investigate Verizon, AT&T, BellSouth and Qwest’s Broadband and Internet Control and Deployments. – FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL.

from: Toronto Star

An Internet rigged by providers?
Jun. 19, 2006. 07:14 AM
ANTONIA ZERBISIAS

If you're like many Canadians, you hate the way you have to take — and pay for — TV channels you never watch just to get those channels you do watch.

from: Ars Technica

Senate bill compromise paves the way for "Net Neutrality Lite"

6/18/2006

A vote on one telecommunications bill that seeks to address Net Neutrality is expected later this week, but just what will be voted on is far from clear. Dubbed the Communications, Consumer’s Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006 (S.2686), the Senate bill backed by Ted Stevens (R-AK) could be voted on as early as this Thursday, June 22. The vote would take place in the Commerce Committee's weekly session, a necessary step before reaching the attention of the full Senate.

Sen. Stevens offers deal on Net neutrality

Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:13 PM ET

By Jeremy Pelofsky

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Commerce Committee
Chairman Ted Stevens has offered a compromise in
the fierce fight over legislation on Internet
network neutrality, but stopped short of demands
sought by content companies like Google Inc.

Google, Microsoft Corp. and other Internet

from: MultiChannel News

Net Neutrality to Change in Stevens Bill
By Ted Hearn 6/19/2006

Washington— A Senate telecommunications bill is expected to be modified this week to accommodate legislators’ concerns about potential discriminatory conduct by cable, phone and other broadband-access providers that could affect Internet services.

From: The Nation
Please ignore the shameful telco astroturf banner ad the Nation is running on all its pages - sigh

A Ten-Point Plan for Media Democracy

By Jeffrey Chester

Ten years after the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, digital technologies are rapidly reshaping the country’s communications system. It will be the most powerful media environment ever created—always “on” with connections via PCs, digital TVs and an array of mobile devices, delivering a torrent of personalized, interactive and virtual content, much of it coming from the nation’s most powerful traditional and new media companies (e.g., AT&T, Comcast, Google, Microsoft). The next several years are critical to insure that the promise of what we now experience online—and its vast potential to help build a just civil society—is fulfilled. With Congress poised to pass legislation that rewrites key parts of the Telecom Act, the following ten action items should be on any media reform agenda.

from: Washington Times

Cable act seen hurting localities

By Jacqueline Palank
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Published June 16, 2006

Counties and cities that broker their own cable service deals in the Washington area are worried that recent efforts to shift control to the state and federal levels would hurt customer service and local programming.

from: Dane101

The Cost: Rep. Mark Green and the Telecoms

Submitted by Jesse Russell
Thu, 2006-06-15 10:56.

Earlier this week we took a look at Rep. Ron Kind (D-03) and the money he has received from the telecommunications industry during his career. Kind voted last week for the Communications, Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 minus the inclusion of preserving Internet freedom, a.k.a, network neutrality. Joining this "New" Democrat in his decision to pass legislation that endangers the future of Internet-based small business in Wisconsin were Wisconsin Rep. Thomas Petri (R-06), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-01), and gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mark Green (R-08). Dane101 took Green to task immediately following the House vote on the premise that anyone who would vote against the best interest of small business in Wisconsin - as well as the potential the Internet provides for our arts and culture - has no right leading the state as Governor.