Alexandria, Virginia — Today CASE once again voiced strong opposition to the Biden Administration’s efforts to engulf the internet within the Title II framework of the depression-era Communications Act of 1934 via so-called “net neutrality” (NN). The FCC announced it will vote on regulating the internet as a public utility on April 25th.

Said CASE chairman Gerard Scimeca, “This is as clear and unamibiguous a power grab by Washington as we will see in our lifetimes, putting politicians and bureaucrats squarely in control of every facet of our lives through unrestrained regulation of the dominant technology of our era. It has been proven time and again there is absolutely no rationale, justification, or public policy benefit to swallow the internet into Title II common-carrier regulations other than a craven desire to limit the digital freedom of Americans.”

FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, who opposes the imposition of net neutrality released a scathing rebuke of the Commission’s vote, charting chapter and verse the immense damage to America’s economic and digital future that will arise through this political power grab. The reasons to reject NN control over the internet are many, but of most interest to U.S. consumers are:

• • • • NN is a naked government power-grab, there exists no legal, rational, or commercial justification for it
      • NN advocates base their arguments on lies and hysteria, saying the internet would “die” without Title II control, instead it has achieved record expansion, commercial growth, and made significant leaps in technology
      • NN is a handout to the billionaire big-tech oligarchs, and will only encourage their pattern of censorship, content control, and dominance in the market to crush competitors
      • NN will send internet service prices higher with its monopoly regulations, discouraging investment, lowering the quality of service, and crushing consumer choice by limiting provider services
      • NN will stifle invesetment into infrastructure, upgrades in technology, undermine the closing of the digital divide, and threaten America’s position as the global leader in digital technology

 

“The true threat to the internet is government control and regulatory intervention, which will empower political ideologues and tech-neanderthals to determine America’s digital future. Net neutrality is the single biggest threat to the digital and financial freedom of every American and a toxic bromide for internet providers and all of the related industries that make the internet a reality.”