House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) has signaled renewed interest in using antitrust law to protect free speech and market competition on the Internet.

In public comments Wednesday, Conyers expressed concern that cable and phone companies would use their dominant positions in the Internet-access market to distort political discourse and commercial activity, especially by charging fees to carry different types of content or traffic.

"If Congress acts, it will not be because we have decided to regulate. It will be because the Internet-service providers have imposed their own new regulation on the Internet, and are interfering with its healthy growth," Conyers said at a network-neutrality hearing held by the Judiciary Committee's Antitrust Task Force.

About 96% of residential users rely on subscriptions to cable or phone company services for access to the Internet, Conyers said, leaving consumers with "monopolies or duopolies in most areas of the country."

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