Lawmakers introduce new net neutrality bill

Two lawmakers have introduced legislation that would prohibit broadband providers from blocking or impairing Web content from competitors. Reps. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Chip Pickering, a Mississippi Republican, introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act Wednesday. The bill says it is U.S. policy to "guard against unreasonable discriminatory favoritism for, or degredation of, content by network operators based upon its source, ownership, or destination on the Internet." The bill would also require the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to open a proceeding on broadband services and consumer rights. The FCC would be required to investigate whether broadband providers have adhered to its August 2005 policy that providers should refrain from blocking or interfering with Web content. "The open architecture nature of the Internet ... has ensured the Internet's place as the greatest level playing field ever created," Markey said a...