Erica Ritz
The Blaze
2/9/2015
Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse says the term “net neutrality” is misleading, and what the Obama administration’s proposal would really do is create a “department of the Internet.”
“This is like the Fairness Doctrine for the Internet, where the government will decide what is neutral,” Sasse said on Glenn Beck’s radio program Monday. “We’ve never had this in the past on the Internet, and it is a dangerous place.”…
…“This is a government bureaucracy in search of being an Orwellian solution for problems that don’t exist,” Sasse responded. “The Federal Trade Commission already has laws that would prohibit the things they say they’re trying to guard against. Contact your congressman and senators and tell them that if there’s a debate that should be had about the governance of the Internet, it should be had in the legislature, not in unaccountable … permanent bureaucracies.”…
The entire article, with video, is at The Blaze.
Related: Congress Looking Into White House’s Role in FCC’s Net Neutrality Regulations
The secrecy surrounding the Obama administration’s plans for regulating the Internet has prompted a congressional inquiry into whether the independent Federal Communications Commission or the White House and its allies are calling the shots over the future of the nation’s broadband networks…
F.C.C. Plans Strong Hand to Regulate the Internet
…Mr. Wheeler will circulate his proposal to other F.C.C. commissioners on Thursday, and the plan could be modified. The proposal is subject to a vote by the full commission on Feb. 26. The commission typically decides major decisions by 3-2 votes, with the two other Democrats joining Mr. Wheeler.
If the proposal is approved, as expected, the cable and telecommunications companies have vowed to fight it in court.
“The agency is reaching for very broad powers here,” said Justin Hurwitz, an assistant professor at the Nebraska College of Law. “Whether Title II applies to the Internet is very open to debate.”…
FCC Chairman Confirms He’ll Propose Strongest Internet Rules Ever Proposed
…The proposal to reclassify the Internet under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 would allow the FCC to regulate the Internet it as a public utility like phone service, barring Internet service providers from prioritizing Internet speed for some sites over others, among other controls…
…Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 is the rule by which the FCC regulates “public utilities,” such as phone service. It is also the rule under which the FCC claims it has the authority to impose net neutrality rules. However, as one FCC senior official claimed to TheBlaze Wednesday, the specific Title II rules that classify a “public utility,” such as rate approvals, are not among the rules the FCC is using to regulate the Internet…
Update: The Gateway Pundit:
