TPA Slams FCC Vote on Burdensome Net Neutrality Regulations

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kara Zupkus, (224) 456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted today to re-instate burdensome regulations on internet service providers (ISPs). The vote effectively repeals the 2017 Restoring Internet Freedom Order and classifies the internet as a Title II common carrier telecommunications service, rather than a Title I information service. This would give the FCC sweeping new powers to restrict ISPs.

In response, David Williams, TPA President, offered the following comment:

“This regulatory tug-of-war at the FCC only serves to leave the American economy with less certainty than ever before. This most recent vote will mark the internet’s third re-classification in the last 15 years. A re-classification under Title II is a solution in search of a problem. The FCC has thoroughly failed to demonstrate any of the supposed harms they claim would come under Title I.

“Rather, the internet was able to grow and thrive under the ‘light-touch’ Title I regulations, becoming the staple of American life it is today. With exciting new technologies and services coming available over the internet, now is not the time to be wrapping red tape around our country’s most valuable innovators.

“Just look at the evidence: Data from Ookla show that the U.S. now ranks among the fastest in the world for fixed, mobile, and 5G speeds. and that median fixed download speeds have increased five-fold since 2017. And, while inflation has made the cost of nearly everything else increase, broadband costs have decreased. The price of internet services has dropped by nearly 10 percent since 2018, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Services Consumer Price Index.

“Sadly, the FCC does not have the benefit of ignorance. After the Open Internet Order first re-classified the internet as a Title II common carrier during the Obama administration, investment in the internet decreased for the first time in history. When that was repealed, investment once again rose, creating jobs and higher wages. The impacts on the American economy are clear. It is inexcusable that the FCC has gone ahead regardless.” 

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Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy