{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s40-114/featured_online-competition-and-consumer-choice-act-of-2015-1485895754.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s40-114/featured_large_online-competition-and-consumer-choice-act-of-2015-1485895754.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s40-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-01-07","title_override":"Online Equality: Should For-Pay Internet \"Fast Lanes\" Be Banned?","summary_override":"This bill would ban the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from allowing fast lanes on the Internet — essentially supporting net neutrality.

This bill would direct the FCC to ban Internet providers from speeding up some content (like online videos) at the \nexpense of others (like e-mail). This is known as a \"two-tiered\" system that allows internet providers — like Comcast and Verizon — to charge companies to offer their content to internet users more quickly, i.e. in the fast lane. If you can't pay, you and your content ends up in the slow lane.

If you're having trouble visualizing this, take Netflix for example. As a huge company, they could afford to pay a premium to stream your favorite shows faster. A smaller online video service might not have the funds to pay the \"fast lane\" rate, and would end up offering it's consumers a much slower streaming experience. This is a direct threat to net neutrality. What is net neutrality? As John Oliver, TV personality and comedian explains:

\"Essentially it means that all data has to be treated equally, no matter who created it. It's why the internet is a weirdly leveled playing field.\"

The bill doesn't offer the FCC new \npowers, but the bill — known as the Online Competition and Consumer \nChoice Act — would offer the commission the authority to create regulations that prohibit broadband providers from:

Signing an agreement with an internet company or online creator of content/applications/services/access devices offering preferential treatment or a promise of priority to online traffic.
Offering preferential treatment or priority to content, applications, \nservices, or devices that are created or operated by those broadband \nproviders and their affiliates.

This legislation also limits itself by prohibiting its own guidelines from getting in the way of a broadband provider's obligation to address the needs of emergency communications, law enforcement, public safety, or national security.
","official_title":"A bill to direct the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate regulations that prohibit certain preferential treatment or prioritization of Internet traffic.","short_title":"Online Competition and Consumer Choice Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Online Competition and Consumer Choice Act of 2015\n\nDirects the Federal Communications Commission to promulgate regulations that prohibit broadband providers, in transmitting network traffic over the broadband Internet access service of an end user, from: (1) entering an agreement with an edge provider (a provider of Internet content, applications, services, or access devices) to give preferential treatment or priority to the traffic of such edge provider in exchange for consideration (commonly referred to as \"paid prioritization\"); and (2) giving preferential treatment or priority to content, applications, services, or devices that are provided or operated by such broadband provider or an affiliate of such broadband provider.\n\nProhibits this Act from superseding any obligation or authorization of a broadband provider to address the needs of emergency communications, law enforcement, public safety, or national security authorities.\n\nSets forth enforcement authority under the Communicati...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable. ","impact":"Everyone on the Internet, broadband providers, the FCC, and the Communications Act of 1934.","argument_for":"Paid prioritization will fundamentally change how the Internet works. All Internet traffic should be treated equally, not based on how much an online organization can pay. ","argument_against":"The government shouldn't be able to dictate how broadband providers offer services. Putting restrictions on operations will harm the future of innovation and investment in broadband.","bill_type":"s","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"s40-114","bill_id":"s40-114","formal_id":"S. 40","chamber":"senate","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2015-01-07T00:00:00.000Z","active":false,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":null,"debated_on":null,"congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/senate-bill/40","plain_text_url":"http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114s40is/html/BILLS-114s40is.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s40-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/senate-bill/40/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2015-01-07","related_bill_ids":["hr196-114"],"progress":"Introduced","house_passage_result":false,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":279,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SSCM","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=s40-114","details":"/api/bills/s40-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/s40-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/s40-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/s40-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":5,"slug":"s40-114-online-competition-and-consumer-choice-act-of-2015","latest_chamber_votes_id":null,"official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":6483,"yea_vote_count":4804,"nay_vote_count":1666,"passed_house":false,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["science-and-technology"],"issue_ids":["science-and-technology","internet","technology","consumer-safety"],"sponsor_id":554}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"science-and-technology","name":"Science and Technology","slug":"science-and-technology","description":"US Congressional Legislation related scientific endeavors and technology, including: research, space-flight and exploration, the Internet, Telecom, and more. Recent legislation dealt with net neutrality, and the robotic exploration of Mars by NASA.","page_title":"Science and Technology Legislation funding research, NASA and more - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/science-and-technology/black_science-and-technology-1429042045.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/science-and-technology/grey_science-and-technology-1429042045.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/science-and-technology/white_science-and-technology-1429042045.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"internet","name":"Internet","slug":"internet","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Internet. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Internet Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/internet/black_internet-1429042050.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/internet/grey_internet-1429042050.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/internet/white_internet-1429042050.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"technology","name":"Technology","slug":"technology","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Technology . Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. ","page_title":"Technology Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/technology/black_technology-1429042051.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/technology/grey_technology-1429042051.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/technology/white_technology-1429042051.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"consumer-safety","name":"Consumer Safety","slug":"consumer-safety","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding consumer safety. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Consumer Safety Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/consumer-safety/black_consumer-safety-1429042054.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/consumer-safety/grey_consumer-safety-1429042054.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/consumer-safety/white_consumer-safety-1429042054.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"CEOofHell","vote_count":144,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/BZe2RzmY/large_bze2rzmy-1434418434.jpg","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/BZe2RzmY/small_bze2rzmy-1434418434.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/BZe2RzmY/tiny_bze2rzmy-1434418434.jpg","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/788482312/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/BZe2RzmY/following","followers":"/api/users/BZe2RzmY/followers"},"about_me":"Artist at KabbalArt, C.E.O. of Hell, Social Justice, Poverty and Mental Health Consultant, Sarcasm Expert, Mother, Grandmother, Creator, American. WELCOME TO HELL!","twitter_id":"@CEOofHell","facebook_id":"KabbalArt","youtube_id":"witness4justice","google_plus_id":"","website":"https://www.zazzle.com/kabbalart","slug":"ceoofhell","issue_count":27,"is_following":null,"influence_score":320,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":5,"following_count":13,"position_count":105,"id":"BZe2RzmY","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"f884566b-7f2f-4f0f-bc46-22543bb7ff3f","argument_for":null,"argument_against":"We have enough regulatory legislation pertaining to the worlds SLOWEST and MOST EXPENSIVE internet services. Just be content to spy on us all but please don't tax us or regulate us to extinction. We have Public School for that! ","show_argument_for":false,"show_argument_against":true,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":null,"upvotes_against_count":0,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/f884566b-7f2f-4f0f-bc46-22543bb7ff3f"},"body":"We have enough regulatory legislation pertaining to the worlds SLOWEST and MOST EXPENSIVE internet services. Just be content to spy on us all but please don't tax us or regulate us to extinction. We have Public School for that! ","stance":"nay","created_at":"2015-06-02T18:17:21.139Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/f884566b-7f2f-4f0f-bc46-22543bb7ff3f.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"s40-114","user_id":"BZe2RzmY","endorser_ids":[]}}

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Online Equality: Should For-Pay Internet "Fast Lanes" Be Banned?