Regulatory classification

[Commentary] How can Republicans get right with network neutrality?

Step One: Know your history: At its heart, net neutrality is a competition issue. From Roosevelt to Reagan, we are the party of competition and should never cede that ground. Net neutrality principles and free trade principles are based on the exact same market theory. 

Step Two: Stream Ahead: Americans love streaming and reject cable.

House Communications Subcommittee Ranking Member Mike Doyle (D-PA) joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) in announcing that, with the passage of legislation to overrule the Federal Communications Commission’s order eliminating Network Neutrality in the Senate, the next step must be passage of this legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

After the Senate's vote to restore the Federal Communications Commission's 2015 net neutrality rules, everyone seemed to have an opinion. 

The US Senate voted to reverse the Federal Communications Commission's repeal of net neutrality rules, with all Democrats and three Republicans voting in favor of net neutrality. The Senate approved a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would simply undo the FCC's December 2017 vote to deregulate the broadband industry.

Democratic lawmakers say they can make political hay of the battle over network neutrality among a small — but committed — group of midterm voters. The linchpin of that strategy is a vote in the Senate May 16 on a measure to undo the Federal Communications Commission’s 2017 repeal of net neutrality rules. That raises the prominence of the effort to preserve the neutrality rules — and will put at least some Republicans on record as opposing it.

[Commentary] The best and fastest vehicle for bringing back the vital protections of net neutrality resides in both houses of Congress. It’s called a “Joint Resolution of Disapproval” which is allowed under a law called the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA allows Congress to overturn an agency decision soon after it is adopted with a simple majority of members in attendance. This Congress used the CRA last April to repeal Federal Communications Commission rules that would have required ISPs to protect the privacy of their customers.

Democrats are increasing looking to make their support for net neutrality regulations a campaign issue in the midterm elections. On Capitol Hill, the Senate is expected to vote on a measure to restore the Obama-era rules repealed by the GOP-controlled Federal Communications Commission. Even if they fail they think the public fight will crystalize their image as the party battling to support an open internet. 

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) isn’t ruling out the possibility of bucking her GOP colleagues and voting for the Democrats’ Congressional Review Act net neutrality measure. “Senator Murkowski has not taken a firm stance on the CRA,” said her spokeswoman. “But CRA or not, she believes a bipartisan, legislative solution would be the best path to ensure certainty within the industry.” This answer would seem to put her in the “undecided” column alongside Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA).

[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.

[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.