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The Senate Commerce Committee passed S.2686 in a 15 to 7 vote. Stevens will now need to submit the Bill to a full Senate vote.

from: Tom Paine

Cable Without Complaint?

Is there one person in this country who’s happy with their cable TV service provider? Cable television companies have long resembled the old Lily Tomlin skit from Saturday Night Live: “We don't care. We don't have to. We're the Phone Company.”

from: Public Knowledge

ACTION ALERT: Broadcast Flag Hidden in Telecom Bill
by Alex Curtis on June 20, 2006

UPDATE: Senator Sununu will be offering an amendment to strike the broadcast and radio flag. But it won't happen without your help. Click here to find out more.

If you’re saying, “Broadcast Flag? I thought we defeated that?” You’re right! But we’ll have to do it again. But we’ll have to do it now, as the bill is being marked up THIS THURSDAY…

from: National Journal
Technology Daily

Inouye Leading Charge To Amend Telecom Bill

By David Hatch

(Wednesday, June 21) When the Senate Commerce Committee begins debating telecommunications overhaul legislation Thursday afternoon, Commerce ranking member Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, will seek to substantially revise a measure that its author, Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is touting as bipartisan.

Astroturfs in Bloom
by saveaccess.org

The astroturfs are suddenly sprouting plastic blooms again, and it can only mean one thing - Congress is about to vote on something. That 'something' is the Senate Commerce Committee 'mark-up' of S.2686 tomorrow (6/22). A google search for the Bill's name "Communications, Consumers' Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006" turns up multiples of one article released by TV4US through the corporate service 'PR Newswire':

from: New Standard News

Congress Looks to Offer Big Telecoms ‘Prize’
Media activists say Net access, local TV control at stake

by Megan Tady

New legislation that fails to enshrine principles of “network neutrality” also federalizes now-local control of TV providers and lets broadband companies leave underprivileged communities behind.

SAVEACCESS ACTION ALERT!
TAKE ACTION BEFORE THURSDAY!

Dear saveaccess supporter,

This is a very important week for action and we're asking you for three favors:

1) Send our letter to your senators to say "Fix S.2686 or vote NO!"
Go to http://saveaccess.org/takeaction

2) Send our letter to your Congressional Reps that voted for COPE and "Ask them WHY?"

from: AEC Newsroom

Hillary, for Net Neutrality, Fires Up the Right

By Ted Hearn, STAFF

(Multichannel News) _ Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), the prohibitive favorite to capture the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, has agreed to support network-neutrality legislation introduced Friday in the Senate, triggering a strong response from a leading conservative group.

from: National Journal, Congress Daily

Changes In Latest Senate Draft Bill Affect 'Net Neutrality,' Anti-Piracy

By Drew Clark

(Monday, June 19) Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, made hundreds of changes to his third and latest draft of telecommunications legislation, aides said.

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.