Yesterday, I took issue with progressive organizations calling Internet regulation a mere “consumer protection.” Today, I have a piece in the Washington Times taking aim at the Federal Communications Commission's equally false rhetoric as they try to market Net Neutrality as a “bipartisan” and “consensus” approach. Nothing could be further from the truth. From the op-ed:
The commission says there is a "consensus that the Internet should remain unregulated." That much is true; however, the FCC's claim that its proposal is this consensus approach that "does not regulate the Internet" is patently false. To get here, the commission is turning its back on years of law and precedent to redefine the "Internet" as the content that is accessed and delivered, not the entire network itself.…
Consistent with this strategy of wrapping pleasant rhetoric around onerous actions, the commission and proponents of Internet regulation also claimed the plan is "bipartisan" and has the backing of Congress. The organization Free Press went so far as to say Congress had declared the FCC should "do whatever it takes" to enact net neutrality. Yet, on the day of the plan's release, proponents only cited a letter from House and Senate Commerce Committee Chairmen Sen. John D. Rockefeller and Rep. Henry Waxman, an Op-Ed by Sen. Byron L. Dorgan and a couple of other lawmakers' press releases.
In stark contrast, this week 74 House Democrats sent the commission a letter chiding them for pushing regulations that will "deter needed investment," "jeopardize jobs," and bypass congressional approval in the process. Thirty-seven Senate Republicans also sent a letter offering much sharper criticism and questioning the FCC's legal authority.
To read the entire op-ed, click here.