Reply Comments of International Documentary Association et al., In the Matter of Preserving the Open Internet Broadband Industry Practices, No. 09-191 (Federal Communications Commission 2010)

Abstract

Comment on behalf of several filmmaker organizations in open internet rulemaking.

Summary: The Internet must remain open if there is to be a future for independent and documentary film. In recent years, the open architecture of the Internet has revolutionized independent and documentary film: it has fostered the development of new and innovative promotion and distribution channels, provided unprecedented access to rich source material, and made self-distribution of independent and documentary film feasible for the first time ever. To preserve the Internet as the preeminent platform for independent and documentary films, and the diverse, creative, and often marginalized voices they bring to light, the Commission must promulgate clear and meaningful open Internet rules. As written, however, the proposed rules contain significant flaws that will undermine this objective and erect the same barriers to entry online that afflict documentary and independent filmmakers offline.

Co-counsel: Michael C. Donaldson

Keywords: net neutrality, broadband, telecommunications, open internet

JEL Classification: K39