Rep Walden: Obama hypocritical on Internet freedom

Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) accused the Obama Administration of hypocrisy for advocating for Internet freedom on a global level but supporting Internet regulation domestically.

U.S. delegates are currently attending a conference in Dubai to update a global telecommunications treaty. The Obama Administration and lawmakers in both parties oppose efforts that would expand the treaty to allow for international regulation of the Internet. But Rep Walden, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, pointed to the Federal Communications Commission's network neutrality rules as an example of invasive government Internet regulation supported by the Obama Administration. The rules bar Internet service providers from slowing down or blocking websites that compete with their services. Supporters say the rules are critical for ensuring an open and vibrant Internet, but critics say they unnecessarily stifle businesses. Chairman Walden, who was speaking at a Washington event hosted by the Villanova School of Business, said a pending executive order on cybersecurity will also hamper the ability of the United States to criticize other countries that try to control the Internet.