Net neutrality opponents were surely happy to see that Cliff Stearns (R—Fla.) isn’t willing to cede anything to the Federal Communications Commission when it comes to Internet regulation.
On Tuesday, the ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Internet subcommittee threw down the gauntlet to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski by introducing a bill that would require the regulatory agency to conduct a thorough analysis of the broadband market and report specific instances of market failure in the ISP market to Congress before it could enact any form of regulation on the industry.
The bill reflects the longstanding criticism voiced by net neutrality opponents, who argue that in the few instances when ISPs have secretly blocked or throttled lawful content, they have backed down in the face of a consumer outcry.
Comcast, for instance, shifted to a content-neutral method of managing data traffic before the FCC issued its order scolding the cable giant.
Enterprise Networking Planet takes a closer look at the legislation and which big industry players are lining up in support of Stearns’ bill.
A House Republican is attempting to block efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify broadband as a regulated telecommunications service as it looks to advance its network neutrality agenda.
Cliff Stearns (Fla.), the ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Internet subcommittee, introduced a bill on Tuesday that would require the FCC to provide Congress with evidence of a market failure in the Internet service sector before enacting any form of regulations governing how ISPs manage their networks.