No deal on legislation banning Internet rate regulation

No compromise was in sight on a GOP-backed bill meant to bar the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from regulating the rates that Internet providers charge for service. The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill on a party-line vote over continued objections from Democratic Reps, who argue the legislation is overly broad and could chip away at the FCC’s network neutrality rules and broader consumer protection authority. Republican Reps approved an amendment meant to address some of those concerns. Democratic Reps unsuccessfully called to postpone the vote so the amendments could be vetted and negotiations could continue.

“On some of these issues we just have a disagreement. This bill was filed a year ago,” said House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR), noting that it has gone through a number of hearings. The two-page bill says simply that the FCC “may not regulate the rates charged” for Internet service. Republicans frame it as a straightforward measure to codify a promise made by the FCC when it reclassified Internet service providers as common carriers. “I don’t care if it is one sentence or one page or 100 pages,” Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA) said. “It says what it says, and it falls short.”