WASHINGTON, D.C.— House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) made the following statement regarding the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) vote to reverse Obama-era Net Neutrality rules:
“Today’s vote by the FCC to reject the ‘net neutrality’ government takeover of the internet is a big win for consumers, and for internet freedom! The so-called net neutrality rules have already harmed innovation and killed billions of dollars of private investment that should be going towards the infrastructure needed to fuel our smartphones, connect our homes, and turbocharge our economy.
“Americans want better internet access, and they want it to be cheaper. The internet is not so broken that the federal government needs to come in and fix it.
“The radical net neutrality scheme to regulate the internet under 1930s era utility-style rules was simply the wrong solution in search of a problem that didn’t exist. I commend FCC Chairman Pai, Commissioner O’Rielly, and Commissioner Carr for recognizing that the hallmark of a free and open internet is upheld best by the free market and competition, not by radical regulations from Washington bureaucrats.
“The internet is a success story defined by free expression, innovation, and job creation. Our world is more connected than ever before, and the rapid deployment of new technology and services has made a profound impact in our daily lives and on our economy.
“America is the global leader in the digital economy because we have allowed entrepreneurs to compete against each other – rather than against regulators. It’s ultimately the consumers who suffer when the federal government swoops in with heavy regulations. Nowhere is that more true than in our technology industry. The best way to continue the success of the internet is by keeping the federal government from suffocating it through radical regulations.”
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