The GOP game plan on net neutrality
The finish line for the FCCâs new net neutrality proposal is drawing closer â and Republicans are looking for every avenue to throw up last-minute roadblocks. GOP leaders are mounting a multipronged attack on Chairman Tom Wheelerâs rules, which would tighten regulation of Internet service providers to ensure all Web traffic is treated equally. Theyâve launched investigations into alleged White House interference in the FCC process, drafted an alternative and weaker net neutrality bill, complained the agency is drawing up plans behind closed doors â and even used net neutrality as a political rallying cry to supporters. Story Continued Below The moves amount to an emerging game plan for how Republicans plan to oppose the net neutrality rules, which have the backing of President Barack Obama. While the FCCâs Democratic majority is expected to approve Wheelerâs proposal at its Feb. 26 meeting, the GOP is doing everything it can to cause a delay â or make the move as politically painful as possible. âThe reason youâre seeing so much activity is because thereâs so much fundamentally wrong with what the FCC and the White House is doing to regulate the Internet,â said former Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.), who now serves as honorary co-chairman of Broadband for America, a nonprofit supported by the telecommunications industry. âOn substance, there are fundamental problems with this kind of an over-reaching regulatory approach. In terms of process, there are fundamental problems with the way this has been pursued.â House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) have both announced probes into whether the White House improperly influenced the FCC, which is an independent agency. Obama inserted himself into the debate last fall, calling on the FCC to regulate broadband like a utility â a tough approach ultimately endorsed by Wheeler. While nothing prevents the president from expressing his views, the question of White House influence over the new rules is catnip for both Chaffetz and Johnson, who are new to their committee leadership posts and eager to seize their oversight roles. âHeâs supposed to be an independent agency,â Johnson said in an interview off the Senate floor Tuesday, referring to Wheeler. âWeâre trying to find the communications between himself and the White House, his agency and the White House, to see if this really was an independent act.â Another GOP strategy on net neutrality: legislate. The party, which previously viewed any net neutrality rules as a solution in search of a problem, has come to the table with a bill that would prevent ISPs from blocking or throttling Web traffic â while also avoiding utility-style rules for broadband and tying the FCCâs hands on regulating the Internet. Senate Commerce Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) and his House counterparts Reps. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Fred Upton (R-Mich.) are seeking bipartisan support for their measure, which they say provides more solid legal footing and is better able to withstand lawsuits from the telecom industry. But theyâve had trouble attracting Democrats, who say the bill effectively handcuffs the FCC and is riddled with loopholes that could allow for pay-for-play online âfast lanes.â On another front, GOP lawmakers are increasingly making an issue out of transparency, chiding the FCC for not releasing Wheelerâs plan for public debate prior to the agencyâs vote. And theyâre getting an assist from the FCCâs senior Republican, Ajit Pai. Pai drew attention last week for tweeting a photo of himself with a printout of the Wheeler net neutrality proposal, saying, âI wish the public could see whatâs inside.â At a press conference Tuesday, Pai â who spoke at the FCC dais where the chairman presides over agency meetings â lambasted the rules and repeatedly called on Wheeler to fully reveal what he termed âthe presidentâs plan.â âThe American people are being misled about President Obamaâs plan to regulate the Internet,â the commissioner said. âLast weekâs carefully stage-managed rollout was designed to downplay the planâs massive intrusion into the Internet economy and to shield many critical details from the public.â FCC officials and Pai, however, have noted the agency traditionally does not allow the publication of items before theyâre approved by the commission â and Pai himself refused to release the Wheeler proposal. As the net neutrality debate generates national headlines, Republicans like Sen. Mike Lee have also begun to use the traditionally wonky issue to rile up their base. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) sent an email to political supporters likening Wheelerâs plan to Internet censorship in Turkey and Iran and asking for signatures opposing the rules. The subject line of Sasseâs email: âPutin and Obama in charge of the Internet?â The message is hyperbole â Wheelerâs proposal wouldnât give the FCC control over Internet content â but it underscores how much Republicans are opposed to new forms of what they call government over-regulation. âPeople on the right and in the middle are finally understanding that this debate isnât really about ânet neutralityâ at all,â said Berin Szoka, president of TechFreedom, a conservative think tank.