Leahy Sees ISP 'Fast Lane' Responses as 'Disappointing'
The response Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., received from ISPs on his request for pledges not to engage in Internet fast lanes is “disappointing,” he said in a statement Friday. Leahy had sent letters to AT&T, Charter Communications,…
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Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon asking them to pledge not to form fast lanes (see 1410230041">1410230041). “They all maintained that they do not currently plan to engage in paid prioritization; an assertion I welcome,” he said. “What they did not do was answer my call for a firm commitment that they will never engage in that behavior in the absence of clear rules prohibiting such deals.” Leahy has held hearings on net neutrality this year and called for strong protections. “It is not ‘demagoguery,’ as Verizon suggested in its response, when small business owners like Cabot Orton of the Vermont Country Store say that they simply want to see an Internet that continues to treat all businesses equally,” Leahy said. “It is not a ‘phantasm’ when independent content creators like actress Ruth Livier acknowledge that they would not have been able to start their websites if they had to pay for priority access to reach viewers online, or compete against players who did.”