WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today released the following statement after Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced her plan to reverse the “net neutrality” rules for the broadband industry:

“America is leading the world with faster and more competitively-priced Internet service.  This was made clear during the pandemic, when U.S. networks thrived and heavily-regulated European counterparts couldn’t keep up.  Instead of allowing broadband investment to flourish, the Biden FCC wants to move backwards and reinstate failed Obama-era net neutrality rules that treat the Internet as a public utility controlled by the federal government.

FCC Democrats are laughably plowing ahead even though their histrionic predictions of doom and gloom after the repeal of Obama-era rules in 2017 turned out to be completely bogus. Rather than give legitimate reasons for another policy reversal, it’s clear FCC Democrats simply want control. They desperately want to micromanage providers’ pricing and terms of service, and collect billions in new USF taxes at the expense of investment, economic growth, and consumer choice.

To top it off, reinstating this failed policy is a colossal waste of time and resources.  The FCC does not have authority to regulate the Internet like a public utility, and even President Obama’s former solicitors general warn that any attempt to do so would be struck down by the courts under the major questions doctrine.  Instead of imposing this oppressive regulatory regime and choking off billions of dollars in private sector investment, the FCC should spend its time and resources helping to promote broadband growth, including by eliminating barriers to deployment and cleaning up the massive waste in broadband subsidy programs as highlighted in my recent ‘Red Light’ report.”

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