Network neutrality is essentially a wonky term for "fair and equal internet." The preservation of network neutrality ensures that Comcast, Verizon and AT&T can't dictate your access to information on the internet. Last year a battle raged as the net roots barely triumphed over these giant telecoms who sought to push through legislation that would allow them to determine, based on who pays what, which websites will download the fastest and which will download the slowest and possibly even which websites should be blocked.

Tonight Madison Alder Austin King will introduce a resolution at the Common Council meeting that express Madison's support for network neutrality. This resolution will then be voted on at the March 20 meeting. King enlisted me to help draft the resolution and I sought out additional help from Frank Paynter from listics.com (who was one of the original founders of the Wisconsin Coalition for Net Neutrality) and Barry Orton, a UW professor who specializes in telecommunications policy and regulation and occasionally blogs over at former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin's blog Waxing America.

Dane101 has asked Senator Herb Kohl on multiple occasions and through multiple forms of communication to take a position on network neutrality. So far his responses have been filled with nothing but ambiguity. On August 31 we joined other supporters of preserving network neutrality in dropping petitions off at Kohl's office seeking his position. At that time his spokesperson said the senior Wisconsin Senator is still considering all options. He said the same in a letter way back on May 1, 2006. All we are looking for is one of two answers: "yes, I support network neutrality" or "no, I don't support network neutrality." Senator, it has been more than four months since our first inquiry! Stop the dance!

Thankfully, we have a choice in November. Kohl is being challenged by Green Party candidate Rae Vogeler. After a request by Dane101 for her position on network neutrality Vogeler's campaign issued a press release vowing support for "free speech on the internet." We applaud Vogeler for taking a position on such an important issue. By doing so she shows she understands the important role the Internet plays in lifting up Wisconsin small business. Vogeler's support of net neutrality is important as Kohl's primary challenger, Ben Masel, was able to take more than 14 percent of the Democratic vote with less than $900 in the bank. Masel ran his campaign almost completely via MySpace. Vogeler's release is below:

For a few months now Dane101 has been hammering away at the issue of Network Neutrality. As an independent, web-based media source we favor the preservation of network neutrality. While we have touched on the opposing position we have rarely presented both sides together. When we saw a well written article in the Madison monthly paper The Gist that presented both sides free of bias, we felt it would be prudent to syndicate the story on our site so our readers can make up their own minds. Written by Gina Walejko, this article can also be found in the latest issue of The Gist.

The Internet has been billed as a place where everyone, from corporate executives to average Joes, has an equal voice and open access to information. Many fear, however, that the days of egalitarian Internet service may end if Congress fails to pass a “network neutrality” law that would force Internet service providers to treat all content equally.

Network neutrality, or net neutrality, a term first coined by Columbia law professor Tim Wu, maintains that Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecommunications companies must treat all Internet content and services without discrimination.

It has been awhile since we've touched Network Neutrality here on Dane101. It has also been some time since we received the last ambiguous letter from Sen. Kohl burning and dodging around where he stands. Is he shoulder to shoulder with the telecoms or not? There is a primary vote on September 12, 2006 and we need to know if we can trust Kohl to do the right thing. So what is it Senator? Pro-Wisconsin small business or Pro-Big Business? Pro-constituent made media or Pro-Hollywood only made media? Pro-Chad Vader or Pro-Darth Vader?

Wisconsin, you have the opportunity to light the fire tomorrow at the Senator's office as we help savetheinternet.com deliver a petition. It is time for him to take a position and stop being so damn ambiguous. More info below:

In this morning's cover story, 50,000 channels, or endless options of programs and how you want them, the Wisconsin State Journal heavily highlights one side of the possible future of the Internet as presented by the telecommunications industry, while barely touching the opposing argument. The article, written in part by Ely Portillo for McClatchy Newspapers (read the original here) and contributed to by the WSJ's Gayle Worland (text not yet available on madison.com), speculates on the boom of small-audience specific media and how the Internet is playing a major role in that growth.

After a long march, the throat of the Internet was placed on the guillotine yesterday by all but one Republican on the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology. Voting 11-11 an amendment to preserve neutrality and bar discrimination based on “source” and “destination” on the Internet was prevented from being attached to a major telecommunications overhaul bill.

If the full Senate approves the bill without the network neutrality language, it will essentially pave the way for toll booths to be set up by major telecommunication companies which will determine how fast users receive information and content.

This morning we told you that the Senate Commerce Committee was preparing to vote on a Internet overhaul bill and an watered down amendment intended to protect network neutrality. Reuters is reporting that the committee adjourned today without a vote and will revisit the contentious issue on Tuesday.

In the meantime, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Internet (sorry Al Gore) has posted a video on his website explaining why he sees the end of network neutrality as it stands now destroying his baby. Clicking here will open the video in Real Player. Clicking here will let you read the text, Net Neutrality: This is Serious.

Today the issue of network neutrality will move a step closer towards the Senate floor. As noted by Waxing America on Monday, “Alaska Senator Ted Stevens is trying to float a deal that would avoid a party-line split over who controls speed and price of content on the Internet, with Republicans favoring the phone companies and the Democrats pushing the position of cable companies and software empires like Google and Microsoft.”

Sundays are typically slow around the top secret offices of Dane101, so in an attempt to stir up the doldrums we introduce our newest feature "The Sunday Musical Interlude." Seeing as this idea popped into the collective head of Dane101 via a glass of wine (or three) at 12:05 a.m. we admit we are very ill prepared. However, that has never stopped us from moving forward on an idea in the past. So until we can get our act together and make "The Sunday Musical Interlude" everything it has the potential of being, we bring you a track by "The Broadband" and their song God Save the Internet. It fits considering Internet freedom is the primary issue distracting Dane101 this month. The Broadband is Kay Hanley, Jill Sobule, and Michelle Lewis, more info on the savetheinternet website. The song is a little hokey (yet also cute and clever), but it gets the point across.

Listen to the song here:
The Broadband :: God Save the Internet

Earlier this week we took a look at Rep. Ron Kind (D-03) and the money he has received from the telecommunications industry during his career. Kind voted last week for the Communications, Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 minus the inclusion of preserving Internet freedom, a.k.a, network neutrality. Joining this "New" Democrat in his decision to pass legislation that endangers the future of Internet-based small business in Wisconsin were Wisconsin Rep. Thomas Petri (R-06), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-01), and gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mark Green (R-08). Dane101 took Green to task immediately following the House vote on the premise that anyone who would vote against the best interest of small business in Wisconsin - as well as the potential the Internet provides for our arts and culture - has no right leading the state as Governor.

It is not our intention to make this website about network neutrality all the time. Dane101 has a major stake in seeing network neutrality preserved as there is a decent chance our website could be relegated to the bottom tier if the COPE Act is passed. In addition, our friends in both the Madison music and film scenes could also be severely impacted as they could be put in a position where unless they pay fees or are on a major label or part of a production company that can afford to pay those fees - they will see a serious drop in exposure. There is potential for great harm to small businesses that have found the internet as a way to help get their business off the ground. With all of this in mind, we have been critical of the local publications for being silent on the issue as we believe it is a disservice.

We weren't seeking an editorial, simply some news coverage from somewhere in southern Wisconsin. With the exception of a couple Associated Press articles in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the only paper that did anything on the topic (as far as we could find) was the Appleton Post Crescent - a paper typically considered to be conservative. The Post Crescent came out strongly in favor of Net Neutrality.

Today we start a new feature on Dane101 called "The Cost" Anyone who visited these pages on Friday knows that Dane101 was a little upset at a handful of Wisconsin legislators for siding with the big telecoms against small business and user-created media in Wisconsin. After that vote we began looking at campaign contribution numbers via opensecrets.org for those who voted in favor of the Communications, Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 without a Net Neutrality amendment. What we learned is the telecoms have a great deal of money to throw around - everywhere. Obviously there is a great deal of legislation out there that could impact the future of the way we communicate so they have any number of reasons for donating to candidates of all stripes and spots. It inspired us to start "The Cost" where we crunch the numbers so you can decide for yourself how much a role money plays in political decisions.

Today we bring you Rep. Ron Kind of District-3. Kind is the only Wisconsin Democrat that decided it would be a good idea to create a two-tier system for the internet that could force small internet dependent businesses in Wisconsin to pay large fees just so they can compete with richer and more established corporate entities.

From our inception Dane101 has avoided endorsing candidates in any election. We are content with tracking how other publications and media swing. That said, when it comes to the gubernatorial race this year, we need to make an exception. Although we have no plans to endorse incumbent Gov. Jim Doyle, there is no way we can support Rep. Mark Green (R-08) after his reckless vote last night for the Communications, Opportunity, Promotion, and Enhancement Act of 2006 (opens in .pdf) minus an amendment that would protect network neutrality. We will also be throwing on the fire Rep. Ron Kind (D-03), Rep. Thomas Petri (R-06), and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-01). We wash our hands of all of these so-called “representatives” as their vote jeopardizes Internet-based small business and user created media in Wisconsin. It shows an arrogance and an ignorance towards one of our country's most valuable economic and creative resources.

We thank Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-02), Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-05), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-04), and Rep. David Obey (D-07) for looking out for the best interest of small business in the state of Wisconsin and seeking to protect the future of the Internet.

The next step is to make sure Sen. Herb Kohl (202-224-5653) does not cross the line. Start calling him today and everyday up until the Senate's vote. Make sure the Senate includes language for preserving network neutrality.