“It’s time for Congress to legislate the rules of the internet and stop this ping pong” between supporters and opponents of repealing the 2015 rules reclassifying the internet, said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, Greg Walden. The Oregon Republican announced yesterday the full committee will look at the Net Neutrality issue during an FCC reauthorization hearing.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai intends to roll-back the change. Strong statements on both sides were expressed during the discussion of the more than 12 million comments the FCC received on the subject during the hearing by the Communications and Technology Subcommittee.
The full committee hearing titled “Ground Rules for the Internet Ecosystem,” is slated for September 7. CEOs of tech companies such as Facebook, Alphabet, Amazon, and Netflix and broadband providers like Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and Charter Communications have been invited to testify. “With almost everyone in agreement about fundamental principles to prevent anti-competitive behavior, such as throttling and blocking, I think we are closer than ever to achieving a lasting resolution. The time has come to get everyone to the table and get this figured out,” said Walden.
Subcommittee Chairwoman Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn agreed, noting the internet experience is lessened for innovating companies and consumers “by the lack of clear and predictable rules.” The current “inflammatory rhetoric is unsustainable, so it has been encouraging to see a change in tone from some quarters and willingness to work with Congress to bring needed certainty to all participants.”
July 26, 2017
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