Ted Cruz Bill Would Ban ‘FCC’s Latest Adventure in Net Neutrality’
Photo Credit: AP / Charlie NeibergallBy Joel Gehrke.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wants Congress to ban “the FCC’s latest adventure in ‘net neutrality,’ ” saying the proposed changes to Internet regulations would damage the industry.
“A five-member panel at the FCC should not be dictating how Internet services will be provided to millions of Americans,” Cruz said in a Wednesday afternoon statement. “I will be introducing legislation that would remove the claimed authority for the FCC to take such actions, specifically the Commission’s nebulous Sec. 706 authority. More than $1 trillion has already been invested in broadband infrastructure, which has led to an explosion of new content, applications, and Internet accessibility. Congress, not an unelected commission, should take the lead on modernizing our telecommunications laws. The FCC should not endanger future investments by stifling growth in the online sector, which remains a much-needed bright spot in our struggling economy.”
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FCC votes to go forward with net neutrality rules
By Bree Fowler.
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted to go forward with the proposal of new rules that could set standards for Internet providers who wish to create paid priority fast lanes on their networks.
The preliminary vote, in which three of agency’s commissioners supported the measure and two dissented, moves the so-called “net neutrality” rules into a formal public comment period. After the 120-day period ends, the FCC will revise the proposal and vote on a final set of rules. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has said he wants the rules in place by the end of this year.
“Today we take another step in what has been a decade-long effort to protect a free and open Internet,” Wheeler, a Democrat, said before the vote.
But the idea of allowing priority access, even if it’s regulated by the government, has received heavy criticism from many companies that do business online, along with open Internet advocates. Outside the hearing protesters banged drums and held up signs calling for net neutrality. At least one was ushered out of the hearing after standing up and yelling at the commissioners.
Commissioner Michael O’Rielly, who voted no, called the proposed rules a “regulatory boondoggle,” arguing that supporters of the rules haven’t shown they will help consumers.
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