[G_Wen]

Yes, he was a pretty big advocate on net neutrality: http://www.alfranken.com/index.php/splash/netneutrality

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/08/19/can-al-franken-save-net...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20011587-503544.html

http://colorlines.com/archives/2010/08/600_convene_for_broad...

Edit more links:

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/07/senator-inte...

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/media/sen-al-franken-gets-...

http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/10/08/20/sen-al-franken-...

Yes, America does have a free speech problem.

[ataggart]

More evidence that "net neutrality", like "reform", is a fill-in-the-blank phrase meaning whatever one thinks it means. In this way listeners to a politician speaking automatically fill in the blank with whatever they personally would support. That the actual legislation the politician implements might be anathema to the ostensible supporters is a humorous side-effect.

[Natsu]

Well, originally (that is, somewhere before the term Net Neutrality was coined & lobbyists were hired), there was this plan by the big telecoms that they had recently announced.

They were going to slow down internet traffic to sites, especially big ones like Google, unless those people gave them money. There was no talk about infrastructure, just a naked money grab, and this was in a speech to others in the telecom industry that I don't think they expected so many people to hear about. After that, there was mass outrage from everyone from the ACLU to the Christian Coalition. Everyone was united: this was naked extortion.

Then people banded together and started calling it "Net Neutrality." And the lobbyists were hired.

The unraveling began when they started questioning what people would do about it. The debate changed from "this is horrible! how can the telcos do that!" to "there needs to be a law!" vs. "we can't trust the government to regulate the internet!"

Sadly, I think both positions are correct, but for different reasons. But by creating a rift and pitting people--people who were all outraged by this horrible plan--they've kept us from doing much of anything at all to stop them. The free market won't do much good against a natural monopoly, but we really, truly cannot trust the government with too much power.

So, in spite of the fact that pretty much everyone was outraged by these plans for middlemen to hobble our internet connections, we've been pitted against each other by lobbyists.

Lovely, huh?

[doki_pen]

He is a supporter of net neutrality but is on record as saying ISPs should combat copyright infringement. When the question of how both could be accomplished arises he admits to being complete ignorant of how technology works.

[javert]

What does this bill have in common with net neutrality? More government control of what is otherwise private property. It's consistent to support both.

[G_Wen]

Yes I thought about this more after I posted my comment and realized that is is reasonable to be a supporter of both. It did come as a bit of a surprise when I had heard Al Franken voted for this bill since he was so public about his views on net neutrality.