(UnitedHeadlines.com) – As the Democrat majority of the Federal Communications Commission seeks to revive the controversial Obama-era policy known as net neutrality, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr is speaking out.
On Sept. 26, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stated that she would share a rule on restoring net neutrality with the commission. The commissioners will then vote on the rule within three weeks of hearing her proposal. The rulemaking process will begin if the rule is approved.
The move has been expected since September, when the Senate approved Democrat FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, breaking FCC’s 2-2 split and giving Democrats control.
Net neutrality was put into place by the FCC under former President Barack Obama. It demands all data be treated equally by internet service providers and not discriminated against based on source or destination. The policy does not cover social media platforms such as Facebook, or search engines such as Bing and Google. In 2015, the policy was challenged by Republicans who stated the policy could hurt innovation as well as limit access. In 2017, the policy was reversed by the then-FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump.
Rosenworcel stated that the decision to reverse the policy was on the “wrong side of history.” She also said it was on “the wrong side of the law,” adding that it was also on the “wrong side of the American public.”
Carr, a Republican who was appointed to the commission by Trump, spoke out against the proposed restoration calling it a step closer to “government control of the internet.” He noted that the Big Tech companies who have participated in a “discriminatory pattern of gatekeeper conduct” all support net neutrality. Carr said Americans don’t want “micromanagement by government bureaucrats” but instead want to freely “express themselves online.”
Carr stated that net neutrality was “never about improving your online experience,” adding that “It was always about control.”
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