House Commerce Committee approves Internet freedom bill

The House Commerce Committee unanimously approved legislation to support Internet freedom. Republican committee leaders agreed to change the language of the bill after Democrats expressed concern that it could undermine existing polices, including the Federal Communications Commission's network neutrality regulations.

To address the Democrats' concerns, Republicans struck the phrase making it formal U.S. policy to "promote a global Internet free from government control." Democrats worried that a person or company could have used the language to sue to overturn regulations or laws. In addition to the network neutrality rules, Democrats warned the language threatened efforts to combat online copyright infringement, child pornography and cyberattacks. The bill approved by the committee states only that it is U.S. policy "to preserve and advance the successful multistakeholder model that governs the Internet.” Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA), the top Democrats on the committee and communications subcommittee, respectively, applauded the Republicans for revising the legislation.