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Washington, D.C. -- Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) today issued the following statement on the passage of Communications Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement (COPE) Act of 2006 (H.R. 5252):
“Portions of this bill have merit. The enhanced 911 services for voice over internet protocol (VoIP) phone service, as well as the provisions allowing localities to provide broadband service, are positive, common sense changes in service that are long overdue.
“Unfortunately, despite these positive features, I cannot vote for this bill in its current form.
“This bill contains, in a separate provision, a slap against ‘net neutrality,’ which has been a principle of the internet since its inception. Net neutrality is the concept that every website on the World Wide Web has an equal claim on the flow of information. In other words, no website can be downloaded more quickly (thereby beating a competitor’s website) by paying more for faster service. In other words, the mechanism of information flow is ‘neutral’ to the sender.
“The result of net neutrality is that websites rise and fall on the merit of their ideas, the services they provide, and the products they offer. The result is, simply put, a meritocracy.
“Maintaining net neutrality allows new entrants to compete with the big boys, and prevents the big boys from resting on their laurels. As currently structured, the internet fosters tremendous innovation. If allowed to form two (or more) tiers – where the more a website pays, the faster and more comprehensively it can deliver its content – then the power of determining who succeeds is taken away from consumers. Instead, it goes to the highest bidder.
“The internet has been an engine of economic growth and innovation. It has changed the way we engage in political discourse, how we share information, and how we experience the world. We must preserve the merit-based nature of the internet – it is fundamental to its success.
“We must also preserve the viability of public, education, and government access channels, which serve millions of Americans every day. This bill fails on that count as well.
“While supporters claim the COPE Act will introduce competition into the cable TV market, it strips local governments of the authority to negotiate with cable companies to support public and educational TV programming in exchange for laying cable under public roadways. Passage of this bill may jeopardize consumers’ favorite local educational and government programming. The American people deserve better.”
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