Supporters, Opponents of 2015 Net Neutrality Rules Mark 1-Year Repeal Anniversary
Supporters and opponents of the FCC’s 2015 net neutrality rules marked the one-year anniversary Friday of the commission’s 2017 vote to rescind the rules, with divergent assessments of the effect of that action. House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle,…
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D-Pa., treated the anniversary as an opportunity to push his Congressional Review Act resolution to undo FCC rescission of the 2015 rules. Doyle, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., also wrote in CNET they aim for net neutrality to be a policy agenda item in 2019, when Democrats will gain control of the House. “Millions of Americans have spoken up in support” of the 2015 rules “and it is time to act” on a discharge petition to force a floor vote on the measure, Doyle tweeted. The petition has the signatures of 180 House members, and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., said she plans to sign onto the measure “when Congress returns to session” Wednesday and “asked to be included on this legislative initiative moving forward.” Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy fellow Gigi Sohn blogged that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai “would have you believe that the net neutrality repeal was of no consequence -- the Internet wasn’t destroyed, cute pictures of cats and dogs are still in abundance, Google and Netflix are alive and well. But even in the short 6 months since the December 14 repeal of the net neutrality rules became effective, we have seen how consumers and competitors lose when broadband providers are given license to self-regulate and the FCC discards its responsibility to oversee the market” (see 1806110054). The rescission order has been “empowering consumers while paving the way for innovation & investment to flourish,” the FCC tweeted. “Some suggested the Internet would cease to exist” because of the 2015 rules’ rescission, but “these claims were proven false,” tweeted Nathan Leamer, aide to Pai. “We had a free and open Internet before and this framework will continue to protect it going forward.” Institute for Policy Innovation President Tom Giovanetti emailed supporters asking “have you noticed any change? Could you detect a disturbance in the Force on this day, one year ago? Has your internet experience significantly deteriorated in the year since? Neither has anyone else’s.” Repealing the 2015 rules “was the right thing to do” given “the internet got dramatically better in the year since internet regulations were reversed,” Giovanetti said.