Internet Freedom Bill Passes House Judiciary Committee

The House Judiciary Committee reported the Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act favorably to the full House the other day.

The bill seeks to prohibit broadband providers from discriminating against customers, areas, and applications, to withhold information about the network, or to refuse to interconnect with other broadband providers. It also forces providers who prioritize one type of traffic to give all other traffic of that same type the same privilege, at no additional cost.

This bill is an important step towards equality online, however, much of the wording is ambiguous, and is sure to create plenty of situations that must be settled at a judge's discretion.