Senator open to TV chat about Internet "tubes" http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060727/wr_nm/telecoms_congress_dailyshow_dc;_yl t=Av0pcI0r9ja67s6_NH9hlusjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-
By Jeremy Pelofsky Thu Jul 27, 5:38 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mocked by comedian and host of "The Daily Show" Jon Stewart for calling the Internet a bunch of tubes, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens said on Thursday he is open to appearing on the popular cable television program for a rebuttal. The comedian has parodied the dean of the Senate Republicans for rejecting calls by some Internet companies for a law to block high-speed Internet providers from charging higher prices to carry certain content. Backers of such a law say it would preserve what they call "Net neutrality." "The Internet is not something that you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's, it's a series of tubes," Stevens, an Alaska Republican, said last month. Stewart parodied the senator's remarks on three episodes, which have spread over the Internet and were widely viewed on YouTube.com. He questioned Stevens' knowledge of the Internet, and quipped, "You're just the guy in charge of regulation." Stevens, whose committee has authority over many Internet issues, defended his comments and said he had even received support from experts. "I have a letter from a big scientist who said I was absolutely right in using the word 'tubes,"' he told reporters. However, Stevens said he had not been invited to appear on the show to respond. When pressed whether he was willing to go on the show, Stevens slowly grinned and said, "I'd consider it." A representative for "The Daily Show" was not immediately available for comment. One congressional aide said the show had explained the controversial Net neutrality issue "better than any corporate lobbyist or policymaker I know." The Net neutrality debate has slowed progress on Stevens' communications reform bill, which needs 60 votes to move forward for a final vote. "I believe we have the 60 votes," Stevens said. He said he was planning to meet with senators to ensure he had those votes, a move Senate leaders had requested before they were willing to bring up the measure. The bill is aimed at making it easier for telephone companies to get licenses more quickly so they can offer subscription television service and compete with cable. Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have pushed Congress to include provisions that would prevent high-speed Internet providers from demanding more money to guarantee consumers can access content or receive quality service. AT&T Inc. and Comcast Corp., two of the biggest providers, have said they would not block access to public Internet sites. Gregory S. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
