Harry Reid, Title II, and The Rashomon Effect

[Commentary] Free Press and the like have done their best to paint Sec 706 authority as somehow anti-net neutrality and Title II as the only “real” network neutrality and unfortunately much of the popular media has taken up this view. But just because they have convinced John Oliver does not mean it is established fact that Title II is the only way to get strong net neutrality rules that protect the open Internet. Everyone (Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler included) supports an open Internet whereby, in President Barack Obama’s words, the “next Google or the next Facebook can succeed.” There is no way such a statement can be read as an endorsement of the extreme step to Title II. Vague statements in support of the open Internet have no bearing on the jurisdictional hook the FCC should use.