Attempts to Regulate Internet in Maine Fall Short

Net neutrality legislation fails; Senate adopts non-binding resolution to

study issue

    WASHINGTON, June 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Advocates for the
 regulation of the internet were defeated in their efforts to pass a law for
 so called 'net neutrality' in Maine this week. After failing to find the
 votes necessary to pass binding legislation, the Maine Legislature decided
 to "study" the issue and passed a non-binding resolution (LD 1675) asking
 Maine's Public Advocate's Office to submit a report on net neutrality for
 the Utilities Committee by February 1, 2008.
     The resolution is not law, and asks only for further examination of the
 issue. However it does acknowledge that broadband policy is a federal
 issue, and any state regulations will be preempted by federal legislation.
     For the last two years FreedomWorks has been engaged in a campaign to
 educate citizens on how so-called "net neutrality" mandates would open the
 floodgates to government meddling in a market that is currently competitive
 and dynamic. These efforts have flown in the face of big-government
 advocates such as MoveOn.org and Common Cause that are pushing net
 neutrality regulation under the guise of being pro-consumer.
     FreedomWorks Chairman and former House Majority Leader Dick Armey
 commented:
     "Net neutrality is simply a solution in search of a problem. The
 Federal Communications Commission already has sufficient authority under
 existing law to regulate and correct anticompetitive practices. Additional
 regulation in this area is unnecessary.
     Maine's economy has been in a difficult spot in recent years, and most
 legislators realize that Maine needs a world class telecom infrastructure
 to compete. Net Neutrality would serve as a disincentive to broadband
 deployment and infrastructure upgrades, especially in rural areas. To move
 the state forward, Maine needs lower taxes and fewer regulations to allow
 business to better compete and grow. Rather than creating a new law for a
 hypothetical problem, Maine did the right thing by not adding to its
 economic woes through net neutrality."
 
 

SOURCE FreedomWorks