• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, September 21, 2006

Republican Senator Ted Stevens and his telecom friends seem to be making a renewed effort to pass a communications overhaul that doesn't include net neutrality provisions.

The proposed bill would make it easier for telecoms to compete with cable companies by offering video, but also doesn't include an amendment mandating net neutrality. That is, the law under consideration wouldn't out-and-out ban Internet service providers from discriminating against Web publishers by, for instance, blocking their sites, or transmitting their content at slower speeds.

An amendment to enact net neutrality provisions failed 11-11 in committee, but supporters have vowed to press forward in the full Senate. Meanwhile the bill put forward by Stevens hasn't yet gained enough momentum to pass.

Now, in an apparent bid to revive the flagging bill, Stevens offered up a poll paid for by Verizon and conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and The Glover Park Group. The poll supposedly proves that the American public backs his view that additional regulation isn't necessary. But, as bloggers like Matt Stoller of MyDD.com were quick to point out, the poll was so deeply flawed that it's hard to draw any conclusions at all from it.

Consider the one question that Stevens and the anti-net-neutrality contingent has seized on:

"Which of the following two items do you think is the most important to you:

Delivering the benefits of new TV and video choice so consumers will see increased competition and lower prices for cable TV,

or

Enhancing Internet neutrality by barring high speed internet providers from offering specialized services like faster speed and increased security for a fee?"

Given the wording--cheaper television, on one hand, versus barring specialized online services--is it any wonder that 66 percent of respondents nationally went for lower-priced TV?

Telecoms and Web publishers each have plenty of honest arguments they can make. But presenting polls based on push-polling tactics, such as the ones employed for this Verizon-financed effort, hopefully won't fool anyone.