Franken: FCC should bury network neutrality proposal unless it is strengthened

In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, Sen Al Franken (D-MN) urged the agency to table network neutrality rules unless they are significantly strengthened.

He is the first Democrat to argue that having no rules would be preferable to the ones the agency proposed last week. Sen Franken decried the proposal for shortcomings in its wireless component, its failure to ban paid prioritization, and its a narrow definition of broadband Internet access service.

“If this Order is adopted as drafted, it would be the first time in the Commission’s history that it effectively legitimated blatantly discriminatory conduct on the Internet -- against lawful applications, content, and devices,” he said.