House committee passes bill to protect an open Internet

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee yesterday passed the Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act of 2006, a bill designed to prevent telecommunications companies from controlling Internet usage with a tiered system of usage fees.

The bill, H.R. 5417, “ensures that the Internet will continue as a vital force for innovation and economic benefit for all Americans,” Amazon.com Inc., eBay.com, Google Inc., IAC/InteractiveCorp., Yahoo Inc. and other supporters said in a combined statement. “This bi-partisan bill recognizes the importance of meaningful and enforceable ‘net neutrality’ legislation that will protect the rights of millions of Internet users.”

A similar bill was submitted in the Senate last week.