[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1043 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1043

   To provide freedom from regulation by the Federal Communications 
                      Commission for the Internet.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 13, 1999

  Mr. McCain introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide freedom from regulation by the Federal Communications 
                      Commission for the Internet.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Internet Regulatory Freedom Act of 
1999''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to eliminate unnecessary regulation that 
impedes making advanced Internet service available to all Americans at 
affordable prices.

SEC. 3. PROVISION OF INTERNET SERVICES.

    Part I of title II of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 201 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following:

``SEC. 231. PROVISION OF INTERNET SERVICES.

    ``(a) Policy.--Since Internet services are inherently interstate in 
nature, it is the policy of the United States to assure that all 
Americans have the opportunity to benefit from access to advanced 
Internet services at affordable rates by eliminating regulation that 
impedes the competitive deployment of advanced broadband data networks.
    ``(b) Freedom From Regulation; Limitation on Commission's 
Authority.--Notwithstanding any other provision, including section 271, 
of this Act, nothing in this Act applies to, or grants authority to 
Commission with respect to--
            ``(1) the imposition of wholesale discount obligations on 
        bulk offerings of advanced services to providers of Internet 
        services or telecommunications carriers under section 
        251(c)(4), or the duty to provide as network elements, under 
        section 251(c)(3), the facilities and equipment used 
        exclusively to provide Internet services;
            ``(2) technical standards or specifications for the 
        provision of Internet services; or
            ``(3) the provision of Internet services.
    ``(c) Internet Services Defined.--In this section, the term 
`Internet services' means services, other than voice-only 
telecommunication services, that consist of, or include--
            ``(1) the transmission of writing, signs, signals, 
        pictures, or sounds by means of the Internet or any other 
        network that includes Internet protocol-based or other packet-
        switched or equivalent technology, including the facilities and 
        equipment exclusively used to provide those services; and
            ``(2) the transmission of data between a user and the 
        Internet or such other network.
    ``(d) ISP Not a Provider of Intrastate Communication Service.--A 
provider of Internet services may not be considered to be a carrier 
providing intrastate communication service described in section 2(b)(1) 
because it provides Internet services.''.
                                 <all>