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from: Red Herring

Verizon’s TV Dilemma

Despite scoring easy wins on Capitol Hill, phone company may not get national TV franchise this year.

June 30, 2006

Faced with a growing impasse on Capitol Hill engineered by supporters of Net neutrality, Verizon Communications is increasing its lobbying and legal efforts at the state and local levels to hasten its entry into the pay-TV business.

from: Broadcasting and Cable

Moveon Targets Net Neutrality 'Nays'

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/29/2006

Moveon.org has sent an e-mail form to the constituents of the 11 senators who voted against explicit network nondiscrimination language in the video franchise reform bill that just passed the Senate Commerce Committee.

from: Media Week

Senate Panel OKs Franchising Bill

Todd Shields

JUNE 28, 2006 -

The Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday passed a bill aimed at easing telephone companies' emergence as competitors to cable operators, sending the measure on to the full Senate.

from: TMC Net

[June 30, 2006]

Net Neutrality: It's Pretty Simple, Really.

By David Sims
david@firstcoffee.biz

The news as of the first coffee this morning, and the music is Creedence Clearwater Revival's Chronicle, probably the best greatest hits package ever assembled:

It's time to delve into net neutrality, see what yesterday's Senate committee vote meant, what portents of doom are portending and if Google of Yahoo! is going to win the bidding war for premium service the telecoms are slavering for.

from: TMP Cafe

When A Net Neutrality Tie Is A Win

By Art Brodsky

The news stories following the Senate Commerce Committee vote on Net Neutrality pictured it as a defeat for the forces of good. Don't believe it. Even though the Net Neutrality amendment failed on a tie vote, we got ourselves into a good position for the rest of the game.

A rant from the blogspehere by Matt Stoller with a net neutrality-centric position (this telco-communications bill goes way beyond the internet in its scope and list of controversial issues). Nonetheless, the insights into the proceedings are revealing. See the source for the extensive commenting.

from: Matt Stoller

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.