Politics

Congressmen respond to FCC’s net neutrality plan

Amanda Carey Contributor
Font Size:

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.

The CRA gives Congress the authority to review federal agency regulations, and repeal them if necessary with a joint resolution.

“The FCC’s hostile actions toward innovation, investment and job creation cannot be allowed to stand,” said Upton in a statement. “Today’s vote is a sad commentary that this administration and the FCC continue to ignore the will of the American people – our new majority is committed to protecting personal liberty and reducing the size and scope of the government.”

Upton went on to say that while the FCC may claim broad industry support for net neutrality, that support is really just “’cries of ‘uncle’ resulting from threats of even more onerous regulation.”

While promising to use the CRA to fight the FCC’s plan, Walden released a statement saying, “If left unchallenged, this power grab will allow the Commission to regulate any interstate wired or wireless communication on barely more than a whim.”

“The FCC has irresponsibly decided to pursue a course unauthorized and opposed by most members of Congress,” added Terry. “This is just more big government intervention in the marketplace to try and fix something that isn’t broken.”

The congressmen also promised to hold hearings during the next year on the FCC’s regulations.

As The Daily Caller previously reported, the FCC’s five commissioners passed Chairman Julius Genachowski’s plan along partisan lines (three of the five commissioners are Democrats) even though commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat, had wanted the regulations to go farther.