ALEC Applauds FCC Efforts to Restoring Internet Freedom

The American Legislative Exchange Council applauds the Federal Communications Commission’s efforts to Restoring Internet Freedom.

The FCC’s proposal, if passed, will reverse the Obama administration’s efforts to take over control of the internet, institute safeguards against bureaucratic micromanagement of the internet, and allow consumers to direct their internet experience.

Some key aspects that will likely be included when the draft order is released tomorrow, based on statements and media reports:

• Reinstating the Title I Information Service designation of the internet, reversing the Obama administration’s unilateral decision to classify it as a Title II telecommunications Service. This reinstatement also reflects Congress’s intent to apply a “light-touch” regulatory approach to the internet.
• Ensuring that the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice have the authority to protect consumers against actual harms they suffer should a service provider act inappropriately.

“The Commission’s actions are an important step forward for those who want to close the digital divide, unleash the economic power of the internet, and ensure that America continues to lead the world in technological innovations,” states South Carolina State Representative Garry Smith, the public sector chair for the ALEC Task Force on Communications and Technology.

“The proposal will restore the regulatory light-touch approach to internet governance envisioned by Congress in the 1996 Telecommunications Act,” states North Carolina State Representative Jason Saine, the incoming national chair for ALEC. “The light-touch approach will ensure the continued growth and expansion of the online ecosystem free from government control.”

“It is exciting to see Chairman Pai’s commitment to openness and transparency,” according to ALEC CEO Lisa Nelson. “Before the Chairman’s initiatives, experts had to divine what rules a proposed order may include. Because of the Chairman, we will know three weeks before the vote what the Commission will vote on. In this case, the Commission will take an important step, returning internet governance to the consumer. By returning the internet to the consumer, rather than the government, the Commission empowers the future growth of the internet.”

The Communications & Technology Task Force is dedicated to helping policymakers understand the constant changes and dynamic innovation present in today’s economy. This includes helping legislators and others digest the proposed Restoring Internet Freedom Order when its text is released Wednesday.