BREAKING: News of Net Neutrality's Demise Premature, Despite Allen's Efforts

Regular RK Readers will remember Wyden from back in April when he stood to filibuster against massive oil subsidies.  Today he sent notice that he fully intends the same brave stand for net neutrality.

From the Senate floor today, Mr. Wyden:

Mr. President, the major telecommunications legislation reported today by the Senate Commerce Committee is badly flawed.  The bill makes a number of major changes in the country's telecommunications law but there is one provision that is nothing more than a license to discriminate.  Without a clear policy preserving the neutrality of the Internet and without tough sanctions against those who would discriminate, the Internet will be forever changed for the worse.

This hold is basically a signal of intent to filibuster. Holds generally are requests that any Senator can make that a bill or measure not be considered by the full Senate until certain issues in it are cleared up. It's not officially in the Senate rules, and the majority leader can refuse it. If Stevens's statement that he doesn't have 60 votes is to be believed, then Wyden's hold could keep this bill from the floor. We'll just have to wait to see what negotiations that might be in the offing mean for the future of the telecommunications bill and net neutrality. - [Full Story]

George Felix Allen took $72,000 from Big Telecom and then voted to deprive the least among us equal right to the digital commons.  Luckily, there are Democrats like Wyden in the Senate fighting for us all.  In November, there will be at least one more among them, when Virginians send Jim Webb to fight for us in the US Senate.

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