WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation yesterday respectively held hearings on draft legislation to protect consumers and the Internet.

“We have a duty to those who use the Internet, those who manage the Internet and those who build the Internet to provide legal certainty, consumer protection and clarity for investment. What we are offering is a solution that will bring to an end the loop of litigation and legal gymnastics that has flowed from FCC attempts to shoehorn the policy it wants to fit the authority that it has,” said Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.). “This draft legislative
proposal represents our good faith effort to end the net neutrality debate before it goes to court again.”

“Yesterday’s proceedings yielded optimism that there are members on both sides of the aisle who see and support a role for Congress to set a workable long term policy to protect an open Internet. I look forward to continuing to work with my ranking Member Senator Bill Nelson, all the members of the Commerce Committee, and my friends in the House to find a solution that brings certainty to consumers and job creators,” added Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.).

The proposal provides clear rules of the road and guarantees that Internet users will continue to be the decision makers for the content they want, while ensuring that innovation and investment continue to fuel the robust future of the Internet. Most importantly, this legislation avoids lengthy court battles that would surely come from the FCC’s controversial regulation proposal.

The above graphic highlights how the House
and Senate draft proposal meets and exceeds the consumer protections included
in previous proposals to advance the shared goals of an Open Internet

Click here to read the draft legislation.

Click here for more information, including an archived webcast, from the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing.

Click here for more information, including an archived webcast, from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing.

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