Walden Responds To FCC Internet Ruling

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“Consumers, investment in state-of-the-art networks, and job creation all stand to lose from today’s heavy-handed decision.”

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) today responded to the FCC’s vote in favor of utility-style regulation of the Internet:

“Resorting to Great Depression-era rules will trigger a stampede to the courts, unleashing years of lawsuits and uncertainty at a time when U.S. leadership and the Internet economy are more important than ever. We believe the Internet has worked well under current rules, but we were – and we remain – willing to come to the table with legislation to answer the calls for legally sustainable consumer protections for the free and open Internet that has fostered a generation of innovation, economic growth, and global empowerment.

“Republicans, Democrats, consumer groups, and investors all agree that we need sustainable protections to preserve the Internet as we know it. A 3-2 party-line vote is not the policy consensus this issue deserves. Consumers, investment in state-of-the-art networks, and job creation all stand to lose from today’s heavy-handed decision. And transparency has all but evaporated during this broken process. Once these rules finally emerge from the shadows, it will become clear that the FCC’s action today does not end the debate.”

Walden is the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, which has oversight jurisdiction of the FCC. A long-time proponent of a free and open internet, Walden has proposed draft legislation to protect consumers and the Internet without resorting to the FCC’s utility-style regulation.

The proposal provides clear rules of the road and guarantees that Internet users will continue to be the decision makers for the content they want, while ensuring that innovation and investment continue to fuel the robust future of the Internet. Most importantly, this legislation avoids lengthy court battles that will surely come from the FCC’s controversial regulation proposal.

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