Statement of Commissioner Michael O'Rielly on the Commission's Extensive December Agenda

I thank the Chairman for circulating the items for the December meeting and look forward to reading each one.The time has come to overturn the market disrupting net neutrality and common carrier regulations that sacrificed decades of precedent and the independence of the agency for political ends while doing nothing to protect actual consumers. The Internet was a vibrant place of commerce and public discourse before the rules ever took effect and will continue to flourish after we discard this unnecessary and harmful regulatory overhang. I look forward to reviewing the Chairman’s proposal and working together to ensure that the order contains the necessary legal and analytical foundations, including preemption, to implement sound policy and withstand the challenges that are certain to ensue. The National Television Ownership Cap item rightly recognizes what I have consistently stated: that the 39 percent cap and UHF discount are intricately linked. The item we will vote on in December asks important questions on the Commission’s authority to modify or eliminate either. While I have outlined my thoughts on the authority to alter the cap and UHF discount, I support the Commission asking these questions and look forward to seeing the issue be litigated out. Finally, I am pleased to see the Twilight Towers Public Notice, an issue I’ve been working for years, and am hopeful it’s sufficiently robust to allow collocations on towers that have been unnecessarily stuck in regulatory purgatory.