Today, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a bill that restores Obama-era net neutrality rules.
Is this a vote to save the internet? No.
Is this a vote to restore regulations on the internet and hurt innovation? 100% yes!
Net neutrality as concept might sound appealing, but hid a more sinister agenda: injecting Washington bureaucratic control over internet providers.
Net neutrality was unneeded and only hampered the expansion of broadband.
Democrats have used net neutrality as an issue to appeal to young voters in 2018 and are now using their majority to force conservatives on the record as opposing the idea of a free and open internet.
Conservatives recognize that the internet was free and open before net neutrality and it remains that way after net neutrality’s repeal.
So, today’s vote is largely symbolic – perhaps even a stunt. Even if the bill passes the Democratically-controlled House, it faces a grim future in the Senate and will be vetoed by President Trump.
Need more convincing about why lawmakers should vote against the Save the Internet bill (restoring net neutrality)?
As I explained today for our sister organization, Independent Women’s Forum:
-
Repealing net neutrality made the internet faster. Since the repeal of net neutrality in June 2018, U.S. internet speed jumped from 12th to 6th fastest in the world (and currently hovers a couple spots below). According to analysis by an independent internet speed testing company, from the end of 2017 to 2018, download speeds increased nearly 40 percent and upload speeds jumped over 20 percent.
… -
Repealing net neutrality boosted investments in expanding internet access to more Americans. During the first two years of the Obama net neutrality regulations, broadband network investment declined by $3.6 billion-—or more than 5 percent –-and that was the first time investment declined outside of a recession.
… -
Net neutrality wasn’t needed to begin with. Net neutrality was a solution in search of a problem. There is little evidence of wrongdoing, such as anti-competitive behavior, that warranted the added regulations.
Check out my full discussion here: 3 Reasons Congress Should Not Bring Back Obama-Era Net Neutrality.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said restoring net neutrality’s FCC oversight would lead to an internet
“that works as quickly as your DMV, that runs as reliably as Amtrak and ultimately is as popular as your post office.”
Funny but not so funny when you think about how miserable that would make our day-to-day lives.
For the sake of innovation and internet equality for all Americans, Congress should not revive net neutrality. Let the internet thrive unencumbered as it did before.