From Catholic News Service

Bishop favors 'net neutrality' regulation

By Mark Pattison, Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Noncommercial religious speech on the Internet is threatened unless protections are put in place to guard against Internet access providers having control over content, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Communications said in a May 23 letter to Congress.

"The Internet was constructed as a unique medium without the editorial control functions of broadcast television, radio or cable television," said Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., in the letter.

"The Internet is open to any speaker, commercial or noncommercial, whether or not the speech is connected financially to the company providing Internet access, whether it is popular or prophetic," he said. "Those characteristics make the Internet critical to noncommercial religious speakers."

The House Judiciary Committee May 25 approved a bill requiring that Internet service providers give equal access to all Web services, content and applications, a principle called "net neutrality." "Net" refers to the broadband network created by Internet service providers.

Proponents of net neutrality fear the nation's Internet service providers -- mainly large telephone and cable television companies -- would charge more to guarantee equal access, and slow down access for those who don't pay. Opponents say net neutrality is a solution in search of a problem.

"Unless Congress requires telephone and cable companies to act as neutral providers of Internet access, as they had been required to do since the birth and through the spectacular growth of the Internet, those companies will use their control over Internet access to speed up or down connections to Web sites to benefit themselves financially," Bishop Kicanas said.

"If the Internet becomes, as it inevitably will without strong protections for net neutrality, a medium where speakers must pay to deliver their messages, religious speech will be effectively barred from the Internet," he said.

The debate over net neutrality arises from a Federal Communication Commission decision to classify broadband providers as information services rather than telecommunications services. The old regulation meant these providers had to open their high-speed networks to other Internet service providers on nondiscriminatory terms and follow other common carrier rules.

FCC commissioner Michael Copps, a Catholic, told reporters May 22 the FCC has the authority to impose net neutrality.

"I think we have authority to go now to the second phase of network neutrality, to make sure that there's not discrimination against those that are not affiliated with the network owners," Copps said. "I think we have a good bit of authority in serving the public interest in keeping the networks open to move ahead on this."

The debate on net neutrality has already provided for some unusual alliances. In addition to the U.S. bishops, others calling for such neutrality include the Christian Coalition, the Gun Owners of America, large Internet firms such as Microsoft and Google, and Trent Reznor, leader of the hard rock band Nine Inch Nails.

A rival bill that previously passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee would codify principles the FCC adopted last year that encourage Internet service providers to ensure the Internet is open to consumers to go where they want to on it. 

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