Republican senators rally in opposition to new FCC push for ‘net neutrality’ regulation

Several dozen Republican senators are uniting in opposition to a brand new push for web regulation from the Federal Communications Commission.

After Democrats gained a majority on the fee final month, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel reignited a push for “net neutrality” setting the principles of the street broadband web entry. 

Former President Trump’s administration reversed Obama-era guidelines banning web service suppliers from controlling digital site visitors, a transfer defended by 44 Republican senators this week in a letter to Ms. Rosenworcel. 

The GOP senators view the potential return of internet neutrality guidelines as aggressive regulation increasing the federal authorities’s powers past its correct attain. 

“Reimposing heavy-handed, public-utility regulations on the internet would threaten the progress our country has made since 2017, and it would steer our country out of the fast lane and into a world of less competition, less choice, less investment, slower speeds, and higher prices,” the senators mentioned. “Further, the FCC lacks this statutory authority over broadband internet access.”

Democrats describe a world with out internet neutrality regulation as harmful. In remarks on the National Press Club final month, Ms. Rosenworcel mentioned the absence of the principles creates challenges for nationwide safety, cybersecurity, community reliability, privateness, broadband deployment and different points. 

She mentioned individuals who argued the removing of the principles was innocent had been mistaken. 

“If you think that nothing much has happened since the FCC retreated from our net neutrality policies and are asking yourself, ‘What’s the big deal?’, think again,” Ms. Rosenworcel mentioned final month. “Then look harder.”

Last week, Ms. Rosenworcel shared her plan to revive the web guidelines along with her colleagues and the FCC is planning to deal with the proposal at an October 19 assembly. 

The 44 Republican lawmakers, led by Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota, argue the FCC’s rulemaking has been hyper-partisan and politicized. 

The senators urged the FCC to deal with “rampant waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government’s broadband subsidy programs,” as an alternative of on internet neutrality.

“Our country faces real challenges. A lack of public-utility regulations for the internet is not one of them,” the senators mentioned.