In an era where the discussion of fake news is ever present, it is painfully ironic that the left has chosen to scream out that the FCC “killed the Internet.” The false narrative being spread about the Restoring Internet Freedom (RIF) plan and net neutrality could not be further from the truth.
The RIF reversed the heavy-handed Obama-era Open Internet Order(OIO) that put the Internet under Title II regulations of the Communications Act of 1934, regulating it like a public utility. The FCC under Chairman Ajit Pai merely returned the Internet to the pre-Title II framework – the same one that allowed the Internet to grow and flourish into what it is today.
Some activists on the left, however, continue to cry “the sky is falling” about the internet and are pushing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the FCC’s work. This is both nonsense and nonsensical.
The truth is this: the Internet is NOT dead, ISPs are NOT blocking or throttling content. The Obama-era Title II framework did not work. It did not protect the “little guy” and instead attacked small ISPs, strapping them with over 1,000 costly and unnecessary regulatory requirements. These are the same small ISPs that serve our rural and underserved communities. It hurt investment, innovation and development, jeopardizing the US as the digital leader in innovation, thought and technology.
Over the course of the coming month, CASE is going to be laying out points on why the CRA is the wrong answer on net neutrality. In a society where false narratives and misinformation spreads like fire, it is important that we all take a moment to educate ourselves on the truth.
