Two days after the Federal Communications Commission voted to pass a controversial set of net neutrality rules, the full text was finally released late last week when many had already begun their Christmas breaks.
At the same time, however, Texas senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who is a ranking member on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, was filing an amendment, co-signed by Nevada senator John Ensign, to block funding of the laws.
Hutchinson has made her displeasure of the FCC’s actions known by referring to them as an “unprecedented power-grab” by the “unelected” commission, as well as referring to them as a “detriment to job growth and innovation.”
“The FCC is attempting to push excessive government regulation of the Internet through without Congressional authority and these actions threaten the very future of the technology,” Hutchinson told The American Independent. “Individuals and businesses alike are rightfully concerned about government attempts to seize control of the Internet, and I will introduce a resolution of disapproval in an effort to overturn this troubling regulatory overreach by the FCC.”
Hutchinson and Ensign aren’t the only ones against net neutrality of course. Republicans in Congress have also vowed to kill the measure when it comes time for them to have their vote.
"If left unchallenged, this power grab will allow the Commission to regulate any interstate wired or wireless communication on barely more than a whim," says Representative Greg Walden, impending Chair of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
In a nutshell, the net neutrality rules outline provider disclosure practices, content blocking limitations, and anti-discrimination measures pertaining to network traffic. While there is much opposition to the measures, others insist that they are necessary to preserve “internet freedom and openness”.
At 194 pages with copious amounts of footnotes, the entire text of regulations from the FCC is definitely not light reading. Since the timing of the release fell so close to one of the biggest holidays of the year, it will still take some time before heavy analysis of the regulations are complete.
If you’re a US citizen and don’t like the way the net neutrality situation is being handled, Ars Technica has published a guide to filing both formal and informal complaints against the measures.
