The Obama Administration and the FCC are plotting ways to impose a jobs-killing government takeover of the Internet, importing rules "from the analog telephone era" to give bureaucrats "authority to regulate prices and competitive access" – all without action by Congress. CNET News reports:
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"The purpose is to circumvent a recent federal appeals court ruling saying the FCC had no legal authority to punish Comcast for throttling some BitTorrent transfers.
"Stung by the recent unanimous ruling, Genachowski will outline a 'third way' to implement Net neutrality regulations, the official said in a statement. ...
"Reclassifying broadband services as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act would effectively import some of the rules from the analog telephone era and extend those to the modern Internet. The move could the FCC the authority to regulate prices and competitive access under what's known as common carrier rules on these networks. It also would not require Congress to enact a new law."
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Supporters of these new rules refer to them as "net neutrality" – a polite euphemism for government control. As the Wall Street Journal wrote in 2008, "Net neutrality is a slippery slope toward interventions of all kinds -- not merely over access but ultimately over content. Naturally, the most powerful lobbies will have the largest sway."
As AFP's Phil Kerpen recently wrote in Forbes, "The Internet--in the absence of regulation--has flourished into a remarkable engine of economic growth, innovation, competition and free expression." A government takeover of the Internet will stifle the growth and innovation that has defined the web since its creation, and will inevitably lead to fewer jobs and lower quality service for consumers.
To join our fight against government control of the Internet, sign our petition or join our Facebook page and tell Washington: "hands off the web!"
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