Agenda

[Commentary] The net neutrality Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution may be unlikely to ultimately change Federal Communications Commission policy, but Democrats’ efforts on the issue can still have political value. Democrats are likely using the CRA to generate a chance to go on record in support of a policy unpopular with key party constituencies. Even if the measure stalls out after this week’s Senate vote, then, it may still stand as a political win for Democrats.

[Commentary] The proposition here is simple: This T-Mobile/Sprint deal will shrink the market for nationwide mobile wireless service from four players to three, giving consumers fewer choices and increasing the likelihood that prices will be higher and service offerings will be less consumer-friendly. Decreased competition in a market that is already consolidated? This deal should be an easy one for the government to reject. Companies seeking to merge typically promise the sun, moon, and the stars to regulators in order to obtain approval, and T-Mobile and Sprint are no different.

State, county and local governments are working to modernize their information technology systems, but officials in Illinois say they must also update how they communicate with one another. Agency leaders at all levels discussed the paradigm during the inaugural Chicago Digital Government Summit May 9.

[Speech] I believe that the networks that we rely on should be totally free of discrimination, and should reflect our greatest democratic ideals. I believe that our networks are more valuable to all of us when they connect all of us. I believe that public resources should be deployed primarily on behalf of the public. I believe that we have a moral obligation to serve the unserved and close existing gaps, while allowing existing prosperity to continue, so long as it does not cause undue disadvantage to anyone else.

[Press release] I strongly support a free and open Internet. And that’s exactly what we’ve had for decades, starting in the Clinton Administration. The Internet wasn’t broken in 2015, when the prior FCC buckled to political pressure and imposed heavy-handed Title II rules on the Internet economy. It doesn’t make sense to apply outdated rules from 1934 to the Internet, but that’s exactly what the prior Administration did.

[Press release] Today, the FCC gave notice that net neutrality protections will be taken off the books on June 11. This is profoundly disappointing. The agency failed to listen to the American public and gave short shrift to their deeply held belief that internet openness should remain the law of the land. The agency turned a blind eye to serious problems in its process—from Russian intervention to fake comments to stolen identities in its files. The FCC is on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of the American people.

Republicans aren’t exactly rushing to support the Congressional Review Act resolution from Senate Democrats to restore the Obama-era net neutrality rules. While net neutrality advocates are trying to secure that elusive 51st vote, prominent GOP members are scoffing. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Bob Corker (R-TN) and John Boozman (R-AR) plan to vote against the CRA. “That was pretty much a no-brainer for me, it wasn’t even a difficult decision,” said Sen Corker who is retiring, arguing that the internet functioned fine before the Federal Communications Commission regulations.