Press Releases
Fallout Continues from FCC Power GrabRepublicans pledge to fight government regulation of the Internet
Broadcasting & Cable: Incoming Republican Leaders Vow to Block Net Neutrality Vote
Walden, incoming chair of the House Communications Subcommittee, was joined by Energy & Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Communications Subcommittee Vice Chairman Lee Terry and committee/subcommittee member Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) in pledging to get all the commissioners to the Hill to explain the move, while at the same time the legislators would work to overturn it by any legislative means necessary. The Daily Caller: Congressmen respond to FCC’s net neutrality plan In the wake of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) passing of a net neutrality plan, some Congressmen are already planning how to fight back. For some, that means the 1996 Congressional Review Act (CRA). Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton, the incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Oregon Republican Rep. Greg Walden and Nebraska Republican Rep. Lee Terry have pledged to use that law to fight the FCC’s new regulations. Hannity Video: Blackburn on Net Neutrality The Hill: Republicans say net neutrality 'cannot be allowed to stand,' promise fight in 112th House Republicans are promising a swift reaction to the Federal Communication Commission's net-neutrality rules that could get off the ground as soon as January. Incoming House Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (Mich.) said in a press conference on Tuesday that his committee is planning multiple hearings to beat back regulations the FCC approved Tuesday. The regulations, which aim to prevent phone and cable companies from toying with Internet traffic, have stoked virtually unanimous resistance from House Republicans and found a growing constituency of opponents in the Senate. Los Angeles Times: FCC set to adopt net neutrality rules "The Internet has flourished without needless government intervention. We should step aside and allow the staggering innovations of tomorrow to proceed," said Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who next month will become chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the FCC. He has pledged tough oversight of the issue and plans to hold hearings early next year. POLITICO: GOP lawmakers threaten to repeal Net neutrality Joining Upton's calls for strict scrutiny and eventual repeal were Reps. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), Lee Terry (R-Neb.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). Walden, who will soon lead the House's top tech subcommittee, stressed the need to rebuff any FCC "power grab that'd allow the commission to regulate" other areas of broadband. Blackburn also floated the possibility of blocking agency funds for use on net neutrality, adding: "You will see activism on each of these levels." RealClearPolitics: Rep. Marsha Blackburn - FCC Internet Grab a Christmas Nightmare Just four days before Christmas, the FCC will make its vampric leap from its traditional jurisdiction- the terrestrial radio and land line telephones that have fallen into disuse; onto the gifts piled neatly under our trees. The iPads and iPhones, Androids, Wiis, Webbooks, and WiFi will all feel the federal bite in a way they never have before. RedState: The Obama FCC has regulated the Internet It should be fun to watch next year’s oversight hearings by incoming chairmen like Fred Upton and Darrell Issa, as well as the legislative steps taken by other outspoken Republicans like Marsha Blackburn. Townhall: Conservatives Plan Countermeasures to Neutralize FCC Internet Edict “On January 5, I will re-file a bill to prohibit the FCC from implementing these rules and regulations,” said Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn). “We, as members of Congress should control [the process of internet regulation] if we decide it’s necessary. There is strong bipartisan agreement on that point.” Blackburn said she expects a Senate companion bill, authored by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), to address the issue in the upper chamber. “I look at this as the Fairness Doctrine of the internet,” she warned, “the FCC would be in a position to make determinations of online priorities and value. We will vigorously oppose [today’s FCC vote] because it’s a hysterical reaction to a hypothetical problem.” The Wall Street Journal: The Net Neutrality Coup - John Fund The campaign to regulate the Internet was funded by a who's who of left-liberal foundations. The Washington Post: FCC approves net-neutrality rules; criticism is immediate Reps. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said they would summon Genachowski for hearings on whether the agency has authority to pursue such rules. Upton, Walden and Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said that the FCC's decision was a "power grab" and that legislation would be introduced to overturn the regulations. Meanwhile, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) said she will move to withdraw funds appropriated to the FCC to execute the rules. |