Today, the Department of Justice Antitrust Division filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on the issue of “network neutrality” ­ whether broadband providers such as AT&T, Comcast, and other telephone and cable companies can monitor, filter, or otherwise interfere with a subscribers use of internet services or internet content. The filing parrots the industry arguments that adopting a rule that would prevent telephone and cable companies from monitoring and filtering internet traffic would harm investment and innovation, despite mounting evidence from Europe and Asia that the opposite is true.

Harold Feld, Senior Vice President of the Media Access Project, had the following statement in response: “It would seem that the President and the Justice Department cannot do enough for AT&T and the other companies that agreed to spy on the American people. Without network neutrality, companies are free to turn over user information without a warrant or block users from desired content ­ as AT&T recently did ‘accidentally’ by blocking Pearl Jam’s criticism of the President during a concert performance carried on AT&T’s broadband service."

Full Press Release at: http://www.mediaaccess.org/press/2007-09-06-DOJ-NNResponse.pdf