Got this email from my ISP while ago. Thought you might find it of interest. I had to activate all of the links, so bitch at me if I need to edit one to work.  
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Subject: No On HR 1542

Dear Socket User:
The United States House of Representatives will be voting on the Internet Freedom and
Broadband Deployment Act or HR1542 on February 27, 2002.  While this bill claims to
help Internet Service Providers like Socket, it will neither enhance freedom of choice for
Internet users nor cause broadband facilities to be deployed more quickly.

This is a special interest bill that will benefit no one but the giant Bell monopolies;
Qwest, BellSouth, Verizon and SBC. It will allow those companies to be your only
choice when it comes to high-speed Internet access. Another section of the bill frees these
companies from federal and state oversight by regulators. And a hostage consumer will
be forced to accept poor service and higher prices because when there is no competition,
so there is no incentive to improve.

What the bill effectively does is allow existing monopolies to charge whatever they want
for lines used to carry data and allow them the discretion to deny access to those phone
lines and backbone lines to competitors such as Socket.  This bill would make
competition for almost every kind of Internet connection a thing of the past.  Rates will
increase and these increases will undoubtedly be passed onto you, the consumer.  The
passage of this bill will not only impact broadband Internet services.  Even dialup
Internet connections that utilize standard telephone lines could be affected by this
legislation.  The only ones who win with this bill are the few large incumbent phone
companies.

HR1542 is ill-conceived and blatantly serves the interests of a few large companies who
cannot tolerate even the minimal competition brought about by the Telecommunications
Act of 1996.  We urge all those who have come to rely on the Internet to contact their
congressperson and ask them to oppose this bill.

Thank you,
George Pfenenger
President, Socket Holdings Corporation


Go to [url]http://www.house.gov[/url] to email your congressperson or use the appropriate link
provided below.

Rep. William Clay, Jr. (D-MO 1st)
[url]http://www.house.gov/clay[/url]  

Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO 2nd)
Web Site: [url]http://www.house.gov/akin[/url]
E-mail: [email][email protected][/email]

Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-MO 3rd)
Web Site: [url]http://www.house.gov/gephardt[/url]

Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO 4th)
Web Site: [url]http://www.house.gov/skelton[/url]
E-mail: [email][email protected][/email]

Rep. Karen McCarthy (D-MO 5th)  
Web Site: [url]http://www.house.gov/karenmccarthy[/url]

Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO 6th)
Web Site: [url]http://www.house.gov/graves[/url]
E-mail: [email][email protected][/email]

Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO 7th)
Web Site: [url]http://www.house.gov/blunt[/url]
E-mail: [email][email protected][/email]

Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO 8th)
Web Site: [url]http://www.house.gov/emerson[/url]
E-mail: Contact Via 'Write Your Rep.'

Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-MO 9th)
Web Site: [url]http://www.house.gov/hulshof[/url]

HR 1542 gets rid of Govt. restrictions.

Everybody calls them the "telephone company monopolies"
Bell built there network, they ran a phone line to every house in this country. Now some little mom and pop companies want to be able to use Bells network and sell it below cost.
I say screw them, let the mom & pop companies build there own damn network.

This legislation levels the playing field because the big cable companies are selling broadband without all the Govt. restrictions that the phone companies are tied up with.

Cable is whipping the phone companies ass in high speed internet.

I want to have a choice between cable or DSL.

From reading between the lines of the ISP's email I believe that Derek45 is correct or very close to correct.  Mr. Pfenenger appears to be complaining that the bill will reduce government interference into the affairs of other companies, thereby reducing his profitability (which was achieved at the other companies' expense.)