Opposition Grows In Senate To FCC Regulatory Effort
Seven Republican senators -- and one Democrat -- are lining up in opposition to the FCC's effort to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service subject to tougher regulation, CongressDaily reported.
Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and six GOP co-sponsors, introduced legislation Wednesday that aims to scale back the FCC's regulatory authority.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski "is attempting to impose unnecessary, antiquated regulations on the Internet in spite of court rulings limiting the FCC's authority," DeMint said in a statement. This flies in the face of "bipartisan congressional concern over damaging economic consequences," he added.
His co-sponsors are Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, John Ensign of Nevada, John Thune of South Dakota, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, John Cornyn of Texas, and Jeff Sessions of Alabama.
Taking another approach, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., wrote to Genachowski recently urging him to find a more "targeted" way to expand the FCC's net-neutrality guidelines "rather than an extensive rewrite of the Communications Act or reclassification of broadband as a telecommunications service."
Casey, whose state is home to Comcast Corp., suggested the FCC pursue narrow legislation to obtain the authority it needs in the wake of the federal appeals court decision in Comcast v. FCC that undercut the commission's ability to regulate broadband service.
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