said by TKJunkMail :

Looks like almost everybody got something in today's committee action to rewrite the telcomm act of 1996.

The Muni-wifi crowd get to erase laws in 14 states that prevents cities from providing internet access with public money. But bad news for taxpayers in some of those cities that might get a go ahead to stick them for overpriced systems. Luckily, most cities have dropped the idea of taxpayer funded muni systems and have switched to ad-supported or for-pay systems.

The telcos and cable companies get a reprieve from draconian net neutrality laws that try to make them the b`tches of the content providers.

And the ISPs get to roll out their products without giving cities the power to tell them who they have to provide service to. ISPs can now schedule rollouts so that the areas most likely to generate profits come first.

The only losers, apparently, are the content providers. They didn't get anything they want. They better start figuring out how to charge for their product, because they won't be able to make the ISPs carry a majority of the costs if this law passes.

Of course, this is only the beginning of the game. The whole House of Representatives have to pass it. And then the Senate must pass their version. And then a compromise bill must be agreed to in House/Senate negotiations. And then the compromise must be passed by both Houses of Congress. With all that, we may not get any bill this year. And then it would start all over again in 2007 with a whole new Congress.