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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

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'Hands Off' Coalition: Today's Senate Committee Vote 'An Important Step Forward'
Wednesday June 28, 6:16 pm ET

WASHINGTON, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee met to consider the Communications, Consumers' Choice and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006. This bill includes compromise language involving the issue of so-called Net neutrality.

During the markup, the committee voted 11 to 11 on the amendment offered by Senators Snowe and Dorgan to dramatically increase federal regulation on the way broadband Internet providers treat digitized data. Therefore, the amendment was not included in the final bill. The following comment may be attributed to Mike McCurry, Co-Chairman of the Hands Off The Internet coalition (http://www.handsoff.org):

"Today's vote is an important step forward. This bill's most notable feature is its successful balance of the competing needs that have made the Internet a global success. The bill reinforces consumers' existing online rights, but in a way that doesn't suffocate the innovation driving the Internet economy.

"That was the inherent contradiction in the rejected amendment. While it called for 'light' regulation, by its own wording it would have required the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to spend months preparing the regulation and red tape required for implementation. All of this would have just driven up costs that ultimately would be passed along to consumers."

The Hands Off The Internet coalition is a Washington, DC-based coalition of companies and non-profit organizations that believe the Internet has flourished because government has not tried to regulate it. Members include Alcatel, AT&T, the National Association of Manufacturers, FiberControl, and Cinergy Communications. Non-profit members include the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, the American Conservative Union and the National Black Chamber of Commerce.

Source: Hands Off The Internet

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[June 28, 2006]

Statements by Charlie Black and Steve Ricchetti Co-chairmen TV4US Coalition
ARLINGTON, Va., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation committee voted to approve the Communications, Consumers' Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006.

"We applaud the Committee's tireless work to make video competition a reality. Thanks to their hard bipartisan work, consumers are one step closer to realizing the benefits of competition in the video market," said Steve Ricchetti, co-chair, TV4US.

"We must continue this great momentum and pass this important bill through the entire Senate as soon as possible. We know that the faster cable competition is introduced into a community, the faster consumers see savings on their bills and enjoy improved customer service," continued Ricchetti.

"Today, with bipartisan support, the members of the Senate Commerce Committee did something very wise and very positive for the consumers and workers of this country," said Charlie Black, co-chair, TV4US. "By passing this bill, they sent two very clear messages to their fellow Senators -- consumers need to receive the benefits of video competition, and businesses and workers who invest their time and resources in the Internet are the key to making the industry successful."

"Senators on both sides of the aisle need to move now and get this bill to a floor vote as quickly as possible. The longer we wait to make video competition a reality, the longer consumers must wait for savings and workers must wait for jobs," continued Black.

TV4US members include AT&T; the National Association of Manufacturers, the nation's largest industrial trade association; more than a dozen telecom services, manufacturing companies and nearly a dozen prominent nonprofit organizations, including The Latino Coalition, Asian Business Association, Asian Women In Business. For more information click on http://www.wewantchoice.com/ .

TV4US

CONTACT: Kelley Gannon for TV4US, +1-703-474-9432

Web site: http://www.wewantchoice.com/

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Video Access Alliance Commends Senate Commerce Committee Passage of Video Choice Legislation

Panel Lauded for Opening Cable TV Market, Giving Consumers Greater Choice

WASHINGTON, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers today moved another step closer toward gaining greater choice, competitive rates and new innovation in television service as the Senate Commerce Committee passed The Communications, Consumers' Choice and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006.

"We applaud the fine work of the Committee, particularly Senator Ted Stevens, on video choice legislation as well as the overall goals of The Communications, Consumers' Choice and Broadband Deployment Act," said Julia Johnson, Video Access Alliance chairman. "We ask Senate leadership to bring this important legislation to the floor for a vote as soon as possible."

"This legislation will bring great benefits to consumers through more choices, better technology infrastructure and reduced rates -- an average of 15 percent savings, according to the General Accounting Office."

Current laws related to video franchising have not been updated
"Video choice will empower entrepreneurs and independent talent trying to bring more choices in programming," noted Johnson. "It will better reflect the needs of local neighborhoods and provide more diverse programming. Americans should support these important reforms as a way to bring opportunity to underrepresented groups and to strengthen our economy
through innovative new content and networks."

This legislation streamlines the nation's communications laws and speeds entry of new competitors into the cable television market. The House of Representatives has already passed similar legislation, The Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006.

The bill now moves to the Senate for a full vote.

The Video Access Alliance is a not-for-profit organization designed to serve as an advocacy and advisory group for independent, emerging and minority networks, video programmers, entertainers and other industry participants by focusing on policies that encourage rapid and ubiquitous deployment and utilization of new and innovative video distribution platforms.

SOURCE Video Access Alliance

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TIA commends Senate Commerce Committee for passage of S. 2686
June 29, 2006 Arlington, VA -- The Senate Commerce Committee yesterday passed telecommunications reform bill S. 2686, "The Communications, Consumers' Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006," by a vote of 15 to 7, bringing Congress "one step closer to bringing about accelerated investment in U.S. broadband deployment," notes Matthew Flanigan, president of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA).

"TIA urges the full Senate to pass this legislation in its current form so that U.S. consumers and businesses alike can realize the benefits of lower costs and more choices as a result of heightened competition," he continues. "S. 2686 can also provide job growth and bring more productive communications, locally, nationally and internationally."

TIA supports a 'hands-off' regulatory approach to the hypothetical challenge posed by net neutrality, specifically through oversight that does not allow for the promulgation of misguided regulations, says Flanigan. S. 2686 is similar in rationale to TIA's recently released "Broadband Internet Access Connectivity Principles," which state that subscribers should be able to get the capacity for which they pay to connect to the Internet; access any content on the Internet as long as such content is lawful; use any applications they chose as long as such use does not hurt the network or other users; and attach to the network any device they choose so long as it does not harm the network.

In May, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) released its 2006 compilation of information on the top 15 global broadband economies. In terms of total penetration by technology, the U.S. is far behind countries such as Iceland, South Korea, the Netherlands, Denmark, and 10 other nations, notes Flanigan. Much of that lag can be attributed to the current local video franchising regulations that discourage the entry of communications companies by impeding expeditious investment in new facilities and capabilities.

"S. 2686 can improve our worldwide standing in broadband deployment and bring communications innovations to more communities by allowing telephone companies to deploy video over new broadband networks within a uniform, federal system overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, with limited authority from existing local franchise authorities," asserts Flanigan. "We are pleased that the Senate Commerce Committee is working to bring access to innovation and increased connectivity to more Americans with this legislation, and we urge the full Senate to pass S. 2686."