The US Congress has ground into a perpetual state of deadlock, producing a legislative branch that has been one of the most unproductive in history. But there are still a few things Congresspeople from both parties can agree on: the governments of the world really shouldn't be regulating the Internet.

That sentiment was expressed in a December resolution that called for a key UN body, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to halt any move to assert authority over the Internet. And it was reinforced today, when Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) proposed legislation that would make it official US policy to promote "Internet freedom."

"The ITU now has unprecedented authority over the economics and content of key aspects of the Internet," said FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell, who also spoke about the threat of the ITU at CES last month.

The text of the bill [PDF] states that it will be "the policy of the United States to promote a global Internet free from government control and to preserve and advance the successful multi-stakeholder model that governs the Internet."

A few of the lawmakers quoted in The Hill's writeup of today's hearing seemed less passionate about Internet freedom during the SOPA debate. The bill's sponsor, Greg Walden, was one of the last Oregon lawmakers to come out against SOPA and PIPA. Similarly, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), who was quoted by The Hill today promising that the struggle for Internet freedom "will be a permanent one," had a position on SOPA that was about as wishy-washy as they come.