Net Neutrality

Guy Nelson
06/28/2006 at 1:00 p.m.

The Senate Commerce Committee is taking up a controversial part of the Telecommunications Bill today -- net neutrality. Several telecommunications companies say that in order to make money off the Internet, they should be able to charge consumers for what they're able to view on the web. The more a consumer pays, the better access she has. But there are plenty of critics of this thinking. They say there's no reason to charge for better Internet access -- it destroys what the Internet is supposed to be about in the first place. We'll get an update on what's happening with net neutrality in the other Washington, and we'll talk with a local expert on what exactly net neutrality means and some unexpected ways it might affect Internet users. Also today, another look at whether journalists should be prosecuted for reporting information that could compromise national security. We'll talk to a writer who says the federal government has to hold journalists accountable for making public classified information.

Guests:
Ben Shaw is a reporter for Capitol News Connection. He's been following the Telecommunications Bill, of which the Network Neutrality provision is part.
Glenn Fleishman writes the Practical Mac column for the Seattle Times, and he also reports on tech issues at his website, WiFi Networking News.
Gabriel Schoenfeld is senior editor at Commentary Magazine. He testifed before the Senate Intelligence Committee on whether journalists should be tried for reporting information that may compromise national security.