Library Groups Join Coalition Supporting "Net Neutrality"

-- Library Journal, 5/23/2006

The American Library Association and the Association of Research Libraries have joined the SavetheInternet.com Coalition, which includes "groups from across the political spectrum that have banded together to save the First Amendment of the Internet: network neutrality." The coalition has gathered more than 500,000 signatures in support of policies that would block network operators from charging companies for faster delivery of their content to consumers or favoring certain content over other content. Meanwhile, the telecomm-funded Hands Off the Internet coalition is urging opposition to net neutrality regulation under discussion in Congress.

In a radio interview last week, Siva Vaidhyanathan, a professor of culture and communication at New York University, said that, "if we want to keep that [Internet] culture healthy, then we want to make sure that there is something preventing these phone companies from discriminating and picking favorite companies over other ones." He said that telecomm companies are proposing double billing—charging consumers for broadband, and the charging specific content providers for faster service.