FCC Inundated With Network Neutrality Filings From Wide Range of Groups

WASHINGTON, January 15, 2010 – The Federal Communications Commission was inundated this week with a new slew of comments on its proposed plan to ensure an open internet through network neutrality regulation. Players like the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council weighed in on the Internet’s

WASHINGTON, January 15, 2010 – The Federal Communications Commission was inundated this week with a new slew of comments on its proposed plan to ensure an open internet through network neutrality regulation.

Players like the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council weighed in on the Internet’s importance to minority communities, while heavy hitters from Hollywood and big communications firms also added their more than two cents.

Here’s just a sampling of comments from the broadband industry community and look for more in-depth stories on BroadbandBreakfast.com in the next couple of days.

The Open Internet Coalition argued for “immediate action to enact common sense rules to ensure that the Internet remains the key engine of economic growth, innovation and deliberation for all Americans.”

Meanwhile, the Independent Telephone and Telecommunications Alliance, an alliance of mid-sized local exchange carriers, stressed that “the market for broadband Internet access is thriving, and unnecessary and intrusive network management regulations will depress incentives for broadband investment in rural America.”

The Media Access Project submitted two sets of public comments to the FCC in support of network neutrality protections. The comments were filed on behalf of more than 40 civil rights and public interest organizations nationwide. “Network neutrality principles must be enacted to ensure open and nondiscriminatory online communication,” said project Vice President Parul Desai.

In a 198-page filing with the agency, Free Press offered its position  that network neutrality rules “will promote investment, encourage innovation, create jobs and spur competition.”

Free Press also took a jab at the phone and cable firms by saying its filing rebuts their “misguided claims about the harms of openness policy.”

Editor’s Note: Don’t miss the Intellectual Property Breakfast Club event, “Net Neutrality, Copyright Protection and the National Broadband Plan,” on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Register here.