WASHINGTON, June 17, 2014 – Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., on Tuesday introduced a bill, the Online Competition and Consumer Choice Act, that would grant the Federal Communications Commission the authority to bar so-called “paid prioritization” agreements between internet service providers and content providers over the last-mile of a broadband connection.

[…]

“Instead of waiting for Congress, the FCC can and should choose to classify broadband Internet as a telecommunications service to ensure that creative enterprise can flourish for generations to come,” said Casey Rae, vice president for policy and education at the Future of Music Coalition. “Artists and other entrepreneurs demand nothing less than the ability for the next great song, idea or innovation to find its audience, regardless of how that audience connects to the network. The time to act is now.”