EDUCAUSE and Internet2 Commend Judiciary Bill to Protect The Internet

Washington, D.C.—Internet2 and EDUCAUSE today commended the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) for introducing the “Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act of 2006.” The bill seeks to protect the Internet by safeguarding the principle of “network neutrality” which is absolutely critical to ensuring U.S. leadership in the global Internet economy.  

The research and education community is today one the largest producers of online content in the world and has remained one of the traditional engines of new innovation in the U.S. Largely supported by citizen’s taxpayer dollars, this community depends on an open Internet to accomplish its mission of promoting educational opportunities for all Americans and to expanding technology development.

To date, the Internet has enabled unprecedented opportunities for distance learning, scientific research, telemedicine, and many other advanced educational experiences. Broadband Internet service allows rural students to take MBA classes remotely, elementary school students to participate in virtual undersea expeditions, and doctors to share MRI images and monitor their patients’ vital signs in real-time. The Internet also provides students, scientists, and researchers access to a global testbed to create new technologies never before realized. But the Internet can only continue to serve these goals if it remains open, neutral, and available to all users, educators, and innovators.

The Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act of 2006 ensures that network operators do not act as gatekeepers by blocking, screening, or discriminating against certain kinds of Internet traffic or creating segregated Internet highways for their own preferred services. In doing so, the bill is an important step toward guaranteeing that the Internet will remain open and available to all Americans and enabling our country to remain in the forefront of technology development.

Learn more about the importance of this issue to higher education and the public at the EDUCAUSE Net Neutrality resource site at: http://www.educause.edu/netneutrality.

About EDUCAUSE

EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. The current membership comprises more than 2,200 colleges, universities, and educational organizations, including 250 corporations, with 17,000 active members. Learn more about EDUCAUSE at www.educause.edu.

About Internet2

Led by more than 200 U.S. universities working with industry and government, Internet2 develops and deploys advanced network applications and technologies for research and higher education, accelerating the creation of tomorrow's Internet. Internet2 recreates the partnerships among academia, industry, and government that helped foster today’s Internet in its infancy. For more information, visit www.internet2.edu.