WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said Tuesday there's no need for new regulation of the Internet, saying his agency has all the authority it needs to prevent discrimination by Internet service providers.
"I do not believe any additional regulations are needed at this time," Martin said at a hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee, noting recent enforcement actions by the commission. The FCC has conducted two hearings on "network management" following admissions by Comcast Corp. that it sometimes delayed file-sharing traffic for subscribers as a way to keep Web traffic flowing.
The hearing was called at a time when the issue of "network neutrality"—the principle that people should be able to go where they choose on the Internet without interference from network owners—has heated up.
The network neutrality debate has divided Congress, with Democrats largely in favor and Republicans mostly opposed, a point that became clearer at Tuesday's committee meeting.
"It is a political division now and it's getting more so," said Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska. "It is unfortunate." He said a return to "intense regulation" of the Internet is "entirely unwarranted."
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