Stevens Still Pushing On Franchise Reform

STEVENS STILL PUSHING ON FRANCHISE REFORM
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
Speaking to a Progress and Freedom Foundation luncheon crowd in Washington, Sen Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) said he is still pushing for passage of his franchise reform bill , though he is impeded by the network neutrality lobby, which has made the issue a "fetish." He hopes to have a floor vote scheduled for the lame duck session. "There is no way you can appease the people that say there is a net neutrality problem," he said, "It’s a fetish. It’s really something that doesn't exist. But they want to stop this bill because it might exist. What they want is to make sure that consumers pay for all the additions to this system that are not there to serve consumers but are there to serve the large companies that want access to enormous volumes and higher speed on the Internet. Now that is not the way it has worked in the past. Our bill preserves the situation that has existed till now and those demands have been accommodated. I think they will continue to be accommodated by competition within the system. We do not need a net neutrality provision."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6374250?display=Breaking+News

* Stevens Progress and Freedom Foundation Address
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Det...

* Stevens: Communications Bill Good for Consumers
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) gave a statement on the floor of the US Senate Thursday in support of the Communications Bill approved earlier this summer by the Senate Commerce Committee. "The Senate Commerce Committee reported to the Senate a bipartisan bill and it is critical that the Senate considers this bill here on the floor. It is a bill that is good for consumers." Reasons for passage Sen Stevens mentioned include: 1) one billion dollars for first responders and emergency communications equipment that will be located throughout the country; 2) the bill encourages broadband deployment for consumers; 3) the bill reduces consumers’ cable rates which is vital to continuing the expanded use of cable in terms of communications; 4) The bill creates choice for consumers for both video and phone service; 5) The bill broadens the base for Universal Service and exempts the Universal Service Fund from the Anti- Deficiency Act; 6) It permits municipalities to offer broadband service throughout America in both urban and rural communities; 7) "The so called Wi-Fi concept will be expanded"; 8) The bill extends disabilities access requirements for the blind and hearing impaired to Voice Over the Internet Protocol (VOIP). He concluded: "There has been much debate on this issue in the Senate Commerce Committee, in House Committees, on the House floor, in the newspapers and in the blogosphere. But some Senators have prevented full debate on this issue on the Senate floor. It is time now for the Senate to allow the debate on this bill to start. America needs this bill."
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Det...

* Senate telecom bill still short of votes: Stevens
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=technologyNews&story...