“The good news is that the Federal Communications Commission has the power to issue regulations that protect net neutrality,” writes Sen. Al Franken. “The bad news is that draft regulations written by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski [are] worse than nothing” in terms of facilitating corporate control of the Internet. On December 21 the FCC will meet to discuss the Chairman’s draft Order. This is an important issue for Climate Science Watch and other public interest and government accountability advocates.

[UPDATE, December 22: Al Franken, “The Internet as we know it is still at risk” — In today’s net neutrality action by the Federal Communications Commission there’s good news and bad news. … ]

Sen. Franken (D-Minnesota) lays out the current situation in a December 20 post titled “The Most Important Free Speech Issue of Our Time.” In it he says:

“Here’s what’s most troubling of all. Chairman Genachowski and President Obama — who nominated him — have argued convincingly that they support net neutrality.

“But grassroots supporters of net neutrality are beginning to wonder if we’ve been had. Instead of proposing regulations that would truly protect net neutrality, reports indicate that Chairman Genachowski has been calling the CEOs of major Internet corporations seeking their public endorsement of this draft proposal, which would destroy it.

“No chairman should be soliciting sign-off from the corporations that his agency is supposed to regulate — and no true advocate of a free and open Internet should be seeking the permission of large media conglomerates before issuing new rules.”

See also:

Press release: Sen. Franken urges major revisions to FCC Chair’s net neutrality proposal

Franken letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski

Franken website with net neutrality petition

Earlier CSW post:

Al Franken: “Net Neutrality is the First Amendment Issue of Our Time” (Video clip from Franken’s keynote address at the Netroots Nation annual conference, July 2010)

And on a different note:

Video of Al Franken interview with Rick Piltz, July 2005