Rep. Massa Crafting Broadband Cap Bill
Rep. Eric Massa, D-N.Y., last week announced he is drafting legislation designed to prevent what he called "job killing broadband Internet downloading caps." The proposal would prohibit unfair tiered pricing structures and would address the importance of helping broadband providers create jobs and increase their bandwidth while increasing competition in areas currently served by only one provider, according to a press release. "I am taking a leadership position on this issue because of all the phone calls, emails and faxes I've received from my district and all over the country," Massa said, citing a plan by Time Warner to charge residential and business broadband fees based on the amount of data they download. [Read more coverage on this issue here].
The freshman lawmaker, who serves on the House Agriculture, Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees, called Time Warner's announcement to test market the initiative in several regions "ill conceived" and said it had the potential to more than triple customers' current rates. Time Warner said it wanted to roll out the project in Rochester N.Y., Greensboro, N.C., Austin, Texas, and San Antonio, Texas. "It's almost certainly just a matter of time before they attempt to overcharge all of their customers," Massa said. "While I favor a business's right to maximize their profit potential, I believe safeguards must be put in place when a business has a monopoly on a specific region."
Read Massa's press release here and a recent memo from Landel Hobbs, Time Warner's chief operating officer here.
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