Dick Armey, former House Majority Leader, takes aim at "Net neutrality" [econ]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

News article on House subcommittee vote:
http://news.com.com/2100-1034_3-6057789.html

Armey's earlier essay:
http://www.freedomworks.org/informed/issues_template.php?issue_id=2541

Action alert:
http://www.rallycongress.com/freedomworks/petition.php?action_id=111

Stop Kelo-style Approach to Telecom Reform -- Vote Expected This Week!

Dear Declan,

FreedomWorks has learned that the House Energy and Commerce Committee is 
moving forward with telecom reform legislation. But while the latest 
draft bill does take some encouraging steps in the right direction, 
there is something now in the bill called "net neutrality" that should 
alarm true free-market conservatives.

The proponents of net neutrality have some very nice sound bites and 
flowery talking points that would lead you to believe that it?s about 
keeping the Internet free?I assure you nothing could be further from the 
truth.

What net neutrality really does is allow the government to run all over 
basic property rights in classic, Kelo fashion. It expands regulation in 
the telecommunications arena and allows the government to dictate to 
businesses how they offer service. For example, a cable or a phone 
company offering Internet service may seek to offer higher capacity or 
secure services commercially to Internet content companies over the 
networks the cable or phone company has built and owns. This is fair and 
well within the company's rights to run its business how it sees fit. 
And it provides more choices for consumers. The government has no more 
right to tell a cable or phone company how to manage the pipes that 
offer their clients Internet service than they do to tell Wal-Mart how 
to stock their lawn and garden department!

Nevertheless, if the latest draft legislation remains unchanged, net 
neutrality will become a fixture of any telecom reform to come out of 
Congress this year.

As conservatives that value the fundamental rights to private property 
envisioned by the Founding Fathers, we can?t allow Congress to take us 
further down the "Kelo Road." Use FreedomWorks' automatic email system 
to send an urgent message to those in the U.S. House of Representatives 
that can most directly influence this debate and stop net neutrality 
provisions from moving forward.

While the actual drafting of this legislation is still in the works, you 
can take action and help influence its outcome. And as a vote is 
expected this week, it's critical that these legislators hear from you NOW!

Click here to TAKE ACTION!

Sincerely,

Dick Armey
FreedomWorks
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