White House says no to net neutrality

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The intensely free-market Bush administration hasn’t met too many government regulations it likes. And those are the ones already on the books. So when it comes to potential new regs -- particularly one adamantly opposed by big phone and cable TV companies -- it’s a tough sale.

Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez made it clear today that the White House wasn’t buying what advocates of so-called net neutrality were selling. Speaking at the annual National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. 2008 Cable Show in New Orleans, Gutierrez said the Bush administration opposed congressional attempts to force Internet service providers to treat all content equally.

The issue has heated up again in Washington this year after allegations that Comcast blocked some customers from using the BitTorrent file-sharing technology.

With Congress considering three bills aimed at prohibiting any discriminatory behavior, Gutierrez scored points with the cable crowd by declaring the White House would have none of it.

‘Broad regulations that limit the ability of operators to price or manage their networks could actually deter and delay investment and innovation,’ he said, according to a transcript of his speech to the show released by his office. ‘The result would be fewer choices and higher prices for consumers.’

The position isn’t surprising, but it makes crystal clear what many have thought -- net neutrality legislation probably isn’t going anywhere this year.

-- Jim Puzzanghera

Puzzanghera, a staff writer, covers tech and media policy from Washington, D.C.