Public Knowledge President to Testify on the Certainty of the Internet Under Strong Net Neutrality

Public Knowledge cares about keeping the Internet open because the Internet has become -- as Congress has repeatedly recognized in past legislation -- the essential communications service of the 21st century. As communication, commerce, and civic engagement increasingly depend on broadband Internet access, it becomes even more critical to ensure that the Internet remains open for all Americans to participate online to the best of their abilities. Fortunately, in Title II, Congress has already given the FCC the flexibility to do just that.

Even while the FCC spent the last decade considering other sources of rulemaking authority, the FCC explicitly left Title II as an option should it ever become necessary. If Congress intends to remove this option, it needs to provide the FCC with an equally flexible tool to replace Title II and preserve open Internet and basic Network Compact protections. In our testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee on January 21, 2015 we detailed the specific weaknesses of the Thune/Upton draft bill including its removal of FCC rulemaking authority over broadband. Those seeking to limit FCC authority like to recite the mantra ‘first do no harm.’ While we appreciate Congress’s role in updating the Communications Act periodically, we remain concerned that current legislative proposals are likely to cause more harm than benefit.