Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act of 2006
Encyclopedia
The Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement (COPE) Act of 2006 was a bill in the US House of Representatives. It was part of a major overhaul of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
being considered by the US Congress. The Act was sponsored by Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton
(R-Texas), Rep. Fred Upton
(R-Mich.), Rep. Charles Pickering
(R-Miss.) and Rep. Bobby Rush
(D-Ill.).
provisions defined by the FCC
. An amendment offered by Rep. Ed Markey
(D-Mass.) would have supplemented these with a prohibition against service tiering, which would have prevented Internet service provider
s charging consumers more money in exchange for not reducing their Internet speed. The COPE Act was passed by the full House on June 8, 2006; the Markey Amendment failed leaving the final bill without meaningful network neutrality provisions.
The US Senate was also involved in the issue. Sen. Ron Wyden
(D-Ore.) introduced the Internet Nondiscrimination Act of 2006, and Sens. Olympia Snowe
(R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan
(D-N.D.) were expected to introduce a bipartisan amendment supporting Net Neutrality when the Senate takes up its own rewrite (the "Communications, Consumer's Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006", aka S. 2686 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN02686:@@@X) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
later that year.
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
being considered by the US Congress. The Act was sponsored by Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton
Joe Barton
Joseph Linus "Joe" Barton is a Republican politician, representing in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1985, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus...
(R-Texas), Rep. Fred Upton
Fred Upton
Frederick Stephen Upton is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1987. He is a member of the Republican Party and Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The district, based in Kalamazoo, stretches along the Michigan-Indiana border in the southwestern part of the state.-Early life,...
(R-Mich.), Rep. Charles Pickering
Charles Pickering
Charles Pickering may refer to:* Charles Pickering , physician and naturalist* Charles W. Pickering , Appeals Court judge* Chip Pickering , U.S. Representative from Mississippi; son of Charles W. Pickering...
(R-Miss.) and Rep. Bobby Rush
Bobby Rush
Bobby Lee Rush is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district is located principally on the South Side of Chicago. It is a minority-majority district and has a higher percentage of African Americans than any other congressional district in...
(D-Ill.).
Overview
The last version of the Act (HR 5252) included network neutralityNetwork neutrality
Network neutrality is a principle that advocates no restrictions by Internet service providers or governments on consumers' access to networks that participate in the Internet...
provisions defined by the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. An amendment offered by Rep. Ed Markey
Ed Markey
Edward John "Ed" Markey is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1976. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Boston's northern and western suburbs, such as Medford and Framingham. Markey is the Dean of both the Massachusetts and New England House delegations...
(D-Mass.) would have supplemented these with a prohibition against service tiering, which would have prevented Internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
s charging consumers more money in exchange for not reducing their Internet speed. The COPE Act was passed by the full House on June 8, 2006; the Markey Amendment failed leaving the final bill without meaningful network neutrality provisions.
The US Senate was also involved in the issue. Sen. Ron Wyden
Ron Wyden
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
(D-Ore.) introduced the Internet Nondiscrimination Act of 2006, and Sens. Olympia Snowe
Olympia Snowe
Olympia Jean Snowe , née Bouchles, is the senior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. Snowe has become widely known for her ability to influence the outcome of close votes, including whether to end filibusters. She and her fellow Senator from Maine, Susan Collins,...
(R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan
Byron Dorgan
Byron Leslie Dorgan is a former United States Senator from North Dakota and is now a senior policy advisor for a Washington, DC law firm. He is a member of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party, the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party. In the Senate, he was Chairman of the Democratic...
(D-N.D.) were expected to introduce a bipartisan amendment supporting Net Neutrality when the Senate takes up its own rewrite (the "Communications, Consumer's Choice, and Broadband Deployment Act of 2006", aka S. 2686 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN02686:@@@X) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
later that year.
Critical sites
See also
- Communications Act of 1934Communications Act of 1934The Communications Act of 1934 is a United States federal law, enacted as Public Law Number 416, Act of June 19, 1934, ch. 652, 48 Stat. 1064, by the 73rd Congress, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, codified as Chapter 5 of Title 47 of the United States Code, et seq. The Act replaced the...
- Telecommunications Act of 1996Telecommunications Act of 1996The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
- Telecommunications Act of 2005Telecommunications Act of 2005The Telecommunications Act of 2005 is a proposed United States telecommunications law thatmakes regulatory changes to broadband Internet providers,Voice over IP providers, andBroadband Video services. Some of...
(Communications Act of 2006)
External links
- "House Rejects Net Neutrality", by John Nichols, The Nation, June 9, 2006
- "Defeat for Net Neutrality Backers", by Tom Lasseter, BBC, June 9, 2006.
- Full text of COPE 2006 (pdf)
- U.S. House Record of the Roll Call Vote on the Markey Amendment
- WashingtonWatch.com page on H.R. 5252: The Communications Act of 2006