Ted Cruzâs Net Neutrality Plan Would Include Adult Entertainment Ban, Online Shopping Tax
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently criticized President Obamaâs net neutrality plan, calling it âObamacare for the Internet,â which resulted in his receiving heavy criticism and quite a few negative, but funny, internet memes made in his honor. So on Wednesday, in response to critics who said he lacked his own net neutrality plan, Cruz revealed his âplan for the internet,â a fourteen-page document detailing what he believes is the best solution for the net neutrality debate. At the core of Cruzâs document, which he labels âA Plan For The Internet And Net Neutrality,â Cruz would stick to FCC Chairman Tom Wheelerâs plan to create what critics call âinternet tollboothsâ and âinternet fast lanes,â allowing internet providers to charge other companies for faster content delivery; a company like Netflix might pay a fee so that their service is delivered faster and more fluidly to consumers than a competitor, like Hulu. âObamaâs regulation of the internet prevents small businesses from reaching their fullest potential,â Cruzâs document states.  âMy plan would release the governmentâs stranglehold on innovation and entrepreneurship, allowing the free markets to regulate themselves, not only in traditional brick and mortar stores, but on the internet as well.â But Cruzâs plan doesnât stop there, either. Heâs also calling for a âfair and moderateâ online shopping tax of 5% at the federal level, noting that Americans spend over $200 billion yearly in online shopping. That $10 billion in tax revenue would go âstraight toward paying down our national debt,â something he could only accomplish if, say, he were president. Cruzâs plan would also include a ban on internet pornography, as well as strict regulations that would prohibit Google and other search engines from listing results related to drug use, sex, abortion, and other so-called âsinful behaviors,â adding âthe internet is a godless, lawless place. Without structure and without maturity, the internet will forever fail at delivering on its promise of being an informative, educational tool.â Whether Cruzâs plan will ever end up in legislation is anyoneâs guess. The Senator hasnât announced any plans to propose his measures in a bill yet, nor has anyone in Congress proposed measures as drastic as his yet, or at least not all in the same bill. Might this be a component of his presidential platform in 2016? Only time will truly tell. Â