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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.

from: Broadcasting & Cable

Commerce Narrowly Defeats Build-Out Provision

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/28/2006 1:05:00 PM

In an extremely close vote (12 to 10), the Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday defeated a phased-in video franchise build-out requirement.

The amendment, co-sponsored by Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) would have no build-out requirement for the first three years, then a requirement of a 15% building out within two years, then if that were achieved, another 20% until the build-out was complete.

from: Broadcasting Cable

McCain À La Carte Bill Voted Down

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/28/2006 12:59:00 PM

The Senate Commerce Committee voted overwhelmingly not to effectively require cable operators to offer their service à la carte. That vote came as part of the day-long, continuing mark-up of the video franchise/telecommunications-reform bill that is getting larger by the day.

from: Hollywood Reporter

Senate Panel Clears Broadcast Flag

From Hollywood Reporter, June 28, 2006
By Brooks Boliek

A key Senate committee approved legislation that ultimately will give the FCC authority to promulgate regulations designed to protect content delivered by digital broadcasts.

from: Reuters

US Senate's Stevens short on votes for telco bill
Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:04 PM ET

By Jeremy Pelofsky

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens said on Tuesday he does not yet have the necessary votes to get legislation to overhaul communications laws through the full Senate.