Congress Should Reject Latest Attack on Net Neutrality

WASHINGTON — The House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will convene a hearing on Tuesday to debate legislation that could modify the Federal Communications Commission’s February 2015 Net Neutrality order.

One bill, introduced by Net Neutrality opponent Rep. Adam Kinzinger, says that the FCC “may not regulate the rates charged for broadband Internet access service." Another, introduced by Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Greg Walden, would permanently exempt all but the largest Internet access providers from following the order’s enhanced transparency rules.

Free Press Action Fund Policy Director Matt Wood made the following statement:

“Once again, some in Congress are ignoring widespread public support for Net Neutrality rules and pro-competition policies. Their anti-Net Neutrality riders proved too controversial to make it into the final budget deal last year. But that hasn’t stopped the phone and cable lobby’s attempt to undermine the FCC’s ability to apply common-sense safeguards to the open Internet.  

“On the surface, Rep. Kinzinger’s bill is designed to look like it’s just putting into statute the forbearance decisions the FCC made in its Open Internet Order. The agency already has decided against dictating the rates that broadband providers charge their users for monthly service. But the sweeping and overbroad proposal under debate by the subcommittee today goes far beyond that and would prevent the FCC from taking action against any abuse that monopoly-minded broadband providers might dream up.

“The bill could give companies like AT&T and Verizon carte blanche to gouge Internet users with punitive data caps, discriminatory exemptions, unjustified fees and penalties, outrageous overages, and even fraudulent charges. It would hand ISPs an argument against any and every Net Neutrality rule they might conceivably dress up as a rate regulation. As written, this legislation goes well beyond preserving broadband providers’ ability to set their prices. It would legalize monopoly abuse, barring the FCC’s efforts to protect consumers from the unfair practices of industry giants that face few to no competitors.

“With Rep. Walden’s bill, millions of Internet users wouldn’t experience the benefits of the agency’s enhanced Net Neutrality disclosure requirements. The bill would exempt companies with fewer than 500,000 subscribers or 1,500 employees from adhering to some transparency measures in the agency’s Open Internet Order. In practice, that would mean an exemption for all but the very largest ISPs in the United States. Americans residing in small cities and rural areas — where exempted providers are most likely doing business — deserve the same protections and the same information about their broadband service as Internet users in big cities.

“Congress should stop trying to chip away at the FCC's authority to protect Internet users and start working to ensure that everyone has affordable access to an open and fast Internet. That’s a goal that everyone needs to get behind.”