WASHINGTON, DC - House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) expressed disappointment following today’s Federal Communications Commission’s vote on Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposed “open Internet" rules.
“Free from regulation and government meddling, the Internet as we know it has thrived. Sadly, these unnecessary rules the commission proposed today will have a chilling effect on job creation and innovation without any corresponding consumer benefit. These rules are a solution in search of a problem. Worse still, any attempt to reclassify broadband Internet embarks on a worrisome course for its future," said Upton and Walden. “With so much at stake, Chairman Wheeler has ignored the bipartisan congressional calls for caution. We look forward to a spirited discussion with Mr. Wheeler next week on the commission’s misguided vision of a heavily regulated Internet."
Background
On Tuesday, May 13, Upton, Walden, full committee Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Vice Chairman Bob Latta (R-OH) wrote to Chairman Wheeler expressing their concern with any proposal to reclassify broadband Internet as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act.
Chairman Wheeler will appear before the Communications and Technology Subcommittee on Tuesday, May 20. More information can be found here.
