Hearing on Network Neutrality
From the Benton Foundation
Telecom and Antitrust Task Force Hearing Tuesday on Network Neutrality
What: Oversight Hearing entitled, “Network Neutrality: Innovation, Competition and Nondiscriminatory Access”
Who: Telecom and Antitrust Task Force – Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.), Chairman
When: 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Where: 2141 Rayburn Building
THIS HEARING IS EXPECTED TO EXPLORE…
. What is “net neutrality?”
. Does net neutrality promote innovation and competition?
. Can broadband service providers “control” access to the Internet?
. Have broadband providers engaged in illegal or discriminatory conduct in violation of net neutrality principles?
. How have recent legal and regulatory developments affected competition for broadband services?
. How can broadband providers abuse their market power to limit access to Internet
content? Do they have an economic incentive to do so?
. How would access-tiering affect the competitive landscape of the telecommunications
market or the open architecture of the Internet?
. How does recent consolidation in the telecommunications marketplace affect broadband access?
. Can a network provider effectively manage network access or should a statutory
definition of network neutrality be adopted by Congress? What restrictions, if any,
should be placed on the network provider to ensure a competitive marketplace?
. What current authority exists to protect net neutrality?
. Would legislative proposals being considered by Congress promote or undermine net
neutrality?
. What is the role of antitrust in preventing Internet “discrimination”?
WITNESSES: Mr. Paul Misener, Vice President of Global Public Policy, Amazon.com; Mr. Earl W. Comstock, President and CEO, COMPTEL; Mr. Walter B. McCormick, President and CEO, United States Telecom Association; and Mr. Timothy Wu, Professor of Law, Columbia Law School.
