TPA Concerned About Long-Term Ramifications of FCC Section 230 Announcement

For Immediate Release
October 15, 2020
Contact: Grace Morgan
(202-855-4380)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the Commission would move forward with a rulemaking interpreting a law known as Section 230, following President Trump’s recent executive order on the matter. Section 230 provides intermediary liability protection critical to the modern, user-driven internet. It has become the focus of misplaced ire in controversies surrounding the content moderation practices of America’s largest online services such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) President David Williams offered the following statement:

“The hallmark of the FCC under the leadership of Chairman Ajit Pai has been regulatory restraint leading to investment and innovation in the Internet economy and closing the digital divide while protecting taxpayers. It is a legacy that the TPA has been proud to support and will continue to highlight. However, the decision to move forward with this rulemaking on Section 230 is disappointing and troublesome for the future of the internet. We are gravely concerned that this announcement lends credence to the chorus of misinformation surrounding Section 230, weakens critical arguments in support of the wildly successful Restoring Internet Freedom Order, and looks to expand the FCC’s authority into uncharted (and likely restricted) waters. There are undoubtedly concerns with regard to the way certain private companies police their content, but this remains the business of these companies and their users, not the federal government. Regardless of any misunderstandings of Section 230, the First Amendment is clear and any government interference in free speech should be discouraged.”

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