Network Neutrality Bill [President's Desk]

[Verily]

Network Neutrality Bill

1. No Internet service provider may charge a discriminating fee, intentionally offer a discriminating speed of access, nor bar access to online material on the basis of its content (excepting illegal pornographic content) to any of its users.

(Sponsor: Verily)


The Vice President was original sponsor of this legislation. He will also be able to answer your questions, I assume.

[Hash]

Is there evidence on this in the United States IRL?

[Ebowed]

Is there evidence on this in the United States IRL?

What do you mean?

[Хahar 🤔]

Is there evidence on this in the United States IRL?

What do you mean?

Are discriminating fees being charged?

[Ebowed]

Comcast has been guilty of intentionally slowing certain traffic (e.g. BitTorrent) and has defended its decision to do so - the issue of paying higher fees for standard service has only been proposed, not implemented by any company yet (as far as I'm aware), but legislators in the US are running out of time to stop the ISPs from going any further.

[Platypus]

If we're excepting some illegal activities but not others, we're passing bad legislation. I propose an amendment from:

...on the basis of its content (excepting illegal pornographic content) to any of its users.

to

...on the basis of its content to any of its users.

[Ebowed]

We are voting to amend the bill as follows:

I propose an amendment from:

...on the basis of its content (excepting illegal pornographic content) to any of its users.

to

...on the basis of its content to any of its users.

[Hash]

aye

[Peter]

The administration would like to state its unequivocal opposition to the amendment presently under consideration. The President and I both feel that the amendment would give licence to paedophiles to access illegal materials with impunity.

As a result of this amendment, the bill will essentially read:

No Internet service provider may bar access to online material on the basis of its content

Effectively - ISPs cannot block child porn, or terrorist websites, or other websites that perpetuate harm to the vulnerable or threaten our national security.

This administration does agree with Senator hughento that we should not discriminate regarding which illegal activities we block - we call for a tightening amendment, and not the relaxing amendment proposed, which would allow ISPs to bar any and all illegal material to their customers.

[Friz]

Nay.

[Platypus]

Aye
_________________________________________________________________________

No, Peter; it doesn't suggest that; it says that the ISP cannot discriminate on the basic of content; and my interpretation of that is not that it excludes the government from making sites illegal to visit under Atlasian law but rather that it doesnt leave the decision in the hands of the ISPs.

If this administration would like to see a tighhtening of access to internet sites that advocate or engage in illegal activity, I encourage the President to propose a bill to be sponsered by a senator-perhaps even myself. It is not the role of private companies to impose moral or indeed legal judgements on society, however. The ISPs must provide equal access to all subscribers under all circumstances, and the government should regulate against visiting illegal sites, perhaps introducing a nation-wide block on pages that advocate terrorism or show images of pedophilic sex.

[Meeker]

Nay

[Bacon King]

aye

[Sam Spade]

Aye

[Meeker]

Tally on Hughento's Amendment
Aye: 4 (Hashemite; Hughento; Bacon King; Sam Spade)
Nay: 2 (Friz; Meekermariner)
Abstain: 0
Yet to vote: 3 (Afleitch; CultureKing; Verily)

[afleitch]

Aye

[minionofmidas]

Aye

[Ebowed]

With 6 votes in favor, the amendment has passed.

[Meeker]

Final Tally on Hughento's Amendment
Aye: 6 (Hashemite; Hughento; Bacon King; Sam Spade; Afleitch; Lewis)
Nay: 2 (Friz; Meekermariner)
Abstain: 0
Yet to vote: 2 (CultureKing; Verily)

With six in favor, two opposed and two abstaining, the amendment passes.

(I know the VP already did it, just my OCD...)

[Platypus]

And I support the bill as it now stands. Perhaps, if other senators think it might be appropriate, we could radically alter the bill so as to include an extensive list of illegal content which the ISPs may discriminate against at the bequest of the government, but I'd personally prefer to leave it as is for now.

[Hash]

Leave it basic for now.

[CultureKing]

Leave it basic for now.

Agreed.

[Meeker]

If no one has anything else to say, we'll move to vote on this legislation in 24 hours.

[Meeker]

We are now voting on final passage of this legislation. Please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.


Network Neutrality Bill

1. No Internet service provider may charge a discriminating fee, intentionally offer a discriminating speed of access, nor bar access to online material on the basis of its content to any of its users.

[Sam Spade]

Nay