One House Democrat who urged the FCC not...
One House Democrat who urged the FCC not to reclassify broadband as a Title II service doesn’t think legislation codifying that thinking is the right approach. House Communications Subcommittee Vice Chairman Bob Latta, R-Ohio, introduced the industry-supported HR-4752 last week…
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(CD May 30 p6), which would prevent the FCC from reclassifying broadband as a Title II telecom service, as some net neutrality advocates have sought. “I have always believed that we should take a cautious and deliberate approach to any legislation that will result in a significant departure from the way the Internet is currently regulated,” Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., told us in a statement on HR-4752, which Bishop does not support. “The Latta proposal, however, would summarily prohibit the FCC from fully considering all possible options.” Bishop had signed a May letter to the FCC from 20 House Democrats urging the agency not to reclassify (CD May 15 p6). He referred us to the FCC’s comment period for its net neutrality NPRM and urged “all stakeholders to raise their concerns so we can have a full and vibrant dialogue” on net neutrality and reclassification. “While I believe that the FCC should closely scrutinize any proposals for regulating Internet Service Providers as Title II common carriers, I also believe we should take an equally cautious approach to any legislation that may limit the FCC’s tools to maintain a fair and robust Internet,” Bishop said. He underscored the importance of “a free and open Internet for consumers, content providers, and Internet Service Providers.”