_____On The Web_____ • ACLU.org: How Monopoly Control of the Broadband Internet Threatens Free Speech _____FCC In The News_____ • Study: Appalachia Lag in Technology (Associated Press, Jul 10, 2002) • Wireless Workhorse (The Washington Post, Jul 6, 2002) • FCC Leaves WorldCom On Hold (The Washington Post, Jul 4, 2002) • Tech Policy Section _____Background_____ • On FCC (washingtonpost.com) _____OnPolitics_____ • Full Section • Web Special: Elections 2002 • Federal Page E-Mail This Article Printer-Friendly Version Subscribe to print edition

By David McGuire
washingtonpost.com Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 10, 2002; 3:02 PM

Public interest advocates today vowed to ratchet up the pressure on lawmakers and federal regulators in a bid to prevent cable companies from monopolizing high-speed Internet service.

The American Civil Liberties Union joined the Consumer Federation of America and the Center for Digital Democracy today in calling for tighter regulation of cable Internet service providers.

The ACLU released two documents touting the public interest benefits and technical feasibility of requiring cable companies to open their networks to competing Internet service providers (ISPs). Representatives from the ACLU and the other groups are personally delivering the reports to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael Powell today.

"I believe in the long run we will win the battle," said Barry Steinhardt, the director of the ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program. "We're just getting started here."

Steinhardt said the ACLU is getting more actively involved in the open-access debate out of fear that cable companies could easily restrict consumers' access to content online if they are allowed to dominate most of the high-speed Internet market.

Cable industry advocates dismiss that notion, arguing that they have never and will never attempt to restrict their customers' access to online content.

"The ACLU offers no evidence whatsoever to show that the provision by cable operators of high-speed access to the Internet is somehow stifling development of, or access to, any content on the Internet," National Cable & Telecommunications Association spokesman Marc Smith said today. "All of the Internet's content is a simple mouse click away for cable modem users."

But Steinhardt said it's only a matter of time until cable companies begin restricting access to content.

"The blocking of content here is inevitable. Those are the systems that are being built. People will begin to get it when they start being blocked," Steinhardt said.

Steinhardt did not provide examples of content blocking by cable providers.

Center for Digital Democracy Executive Director Jeff Chester said the ACLU's involvement would draw greater attention to the long-running open-access debate.