Background: Press reports indicate FCC Chairman Kevin Martin is recommending that Comcast be punished for violating Commission policy statements to preserve an open Internet.
The following statement is attributed to Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
“We are pleased that Chairman Martin has decided to enforce the Commission’s policies preserving the rights of Internet users. Comcast’s conduct in throttling Internet traffic was deplorable when it was discovered, and remains deplorable today.
“We hope that the other commissioners will agree, will order the company to stop blocking and throttling Internet traffic and will make it clear that this type of behavior from any Internet Service Provider will not be tolerated.
“At the same time, this case is limited in scope to one company and to one type of behavior. Even if the Commission ultimately issues an order against Comcast, there is still a need for legislation to prohibit discrimination by telephone and cable companies while preserving the rights of Internet users and companies that do business on the Internet.
“Whether blocking traffic or collecting data without customers knowledge, ISPs must know that they cannot impose themselves between consumers and consumers’ online activities.”
