Senate likely to spurn Web firms in fee battle

The Senate probably will reject rules sought by Internet companies including Google Inc. that bar telephone and cable companies from charging users more for priority network access, Senator Ted Stevens said.

The House of Representatives' rejection of so-called ``network neutrality" rules last week in a 269-152 vote ``shows what the Congress wants to do," he said yesterday.

``I believe we'll have a similar vote on the floor of the Senate on net neutrality," said Stevens, a Republican who chairs the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, after a hearing on communications legislation.

Google, eBay Inc., and Yahoo Inc. have urged lawmakers to bar such pricing and ensure that they can transmit video and other content at the same speeds as those used by cable and phone companies at no extra charge.

Stevens is developing a bill that falls short of what Google and other Internet companies have sought. Instead, it directs the Federal Communications Commission to make recommendations to Congress if it finds discrimination by network operators. The Commerce panel plans to vote on the bill on June 22.

Some net neutrality provisions might be toughened to let the FCC take steps to protect consumers, Stevens said. He said his bill will not address whether broadband providers can charge new priority-access fees.

``When it comes to interfering with the marketplace, in terms of major expenditures of capital, I think we should stay away," Stevens said during the hearing.