New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who has gained a national reputation for his practical, sensible and no-nonsense approach to governmnet, filed a letter with United States Senators Ted Stevens and Daniel Inouye, Chairman and Ranking Member respectively of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee respectively, urging passage of legislation to preserve neutral and nondiscriminatory access to the Internet.

According to a press release from his office, Spitzer voiced concern that consolidation in the telecommunications industry by the major companies poses a threat to the open and ready use of the Internet by consumers and content providers alike. He urged that legislation be passed which would require Internet backbone operators and service providers not to discriminate with respect to content flowing over the Internet as to quality of service, speed, access or bandwidth, and that they not prioritize or otherwise favor content based on the user's ability to pay or affiliation with the provider.

The Attorney General also urged that any legislation continue to enable Internet service providers to protect consumers from unwanted or harmful content.

The Attorney General stated that the principles embodied in S. 2917 should be included in any legislation that emerges. The Senate Commerce Committee is resuming debate tomorrow.