FCC and the Internet: Drawing the Battle Lines

Okay, the FCC has spoken. It says it has the authority to regulate the Internet. Regulate the Internet? The very idea has some computer geeks laughing into their Ramon noodles.

But Internet regulation by the FCC is no joke. FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell, a Bush appointee, characterized the FCC plan as “an obsessive quest to regulate at all costs.”  And many industry watchers have warned that FCC regulation will discourage investment and impose unnecessary regulations on what has remained a robust industry despite our otherwise dismal economic climate.

The FCC regulatory order was issued late in 2010. The Republicans, who uniformly oppose Internet regulation by the Executive Branch, were quick to respond. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Internet Freedom Act (H.R. 96) on January 5, only two days after the 112th Congress convened.

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With the House well under Republican control, it seems likely that one of the bills, or perhaps an amalgamation of the two, will make it to the Senate. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.

To read the full text of H.R. 166, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.166:.