WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee issued the following statement on the outline of new Title II Internet regulations proposed by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler:

“Chairman Wheeler’s proposal to regulate the Internet as a public utility is not about net neutrality – it is a power grab for the federal government by the chairman of a supposedly independent agency who finally succumbed to the bully tactics of political activists and the president himself. If the only objective behind the FCC’s new proposal was to protect an open Internet and establish net neutrality rules, we could accomplish that through bipartisan legislation and avoid the years of uncertainty and litigation created by Chairman Wheeler’s radical proposal. Despite my repeated attempts to engage Chairman Wheeler and President Obama in a constructive dialogue, neither have stepped forward to work with Congress on bipartisan rules that prohibit practices such as throttling, blocking, and paid prioritization.

“Regulating the Internet through ill-suited and antiquated authorities that were designed for the monopoly phone era will ultimately make the Internet more rigid and less innovative. The FCC’s proposal puts in play new taxes and fees for consumers, an expanded federal government role in determining the direction of future growth and technology development, and more power for Washington over the Internet at a time when there is increasing concern about governments around the globe abusing their authority over the Internet to spy on their own citizens and restrict the free flow of information. This is not good for consumers and is not the vision of an open Internet that Americans want. As the public learns more details about the FCC’s overreaching proposal in the coming days and weeks, I believe that the merits of a legislative solution will become undeniable. I am determined to work with my colleagues to find a better path forward regardless of what the FCC decides.”

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