FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has the votes to pass his net neutrality plan. The FCC is scheduled to vote today on this plan. Here’s an excerpt from the statement Chairman Genachowski is expected to read today:
“On one end of the spectrum, there are those who say government should do nothing at all. On the other end of the spectrum are those who would adopt a set of detailed and rigid regulations. I reject both extremes in favor of a strong and sensible framework – one that protects Internet freedom and openness and promotes robust innovation and investment”
Republican Commissioner Merideth Baker writes an op-ed in the Washington Post today in which she says:
“Discouragingly, the FCC is intervening to regulate the Internet because it wants to, not because it needs to. Preserving the openness and freedom of the Internet is non-negotiable; it is a bedrock principle shared by all in the Internet economy. No government action is necessary to preserve it.”
Meanwhile, the new chair of the House Energy and Commerce oversight subcommittee says he doesn’t believe the FCC has the right to regulate the internet and says his panel will turn its attention toward the FCC’s net neutrality rules. It’s likely this plan will be challenged in court. But no one will even see the text of the plan for a few days still.
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