Council for Citizens Against Government Waste Statement on House Passage of the Government Takeover of the Internet

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) President Tom Schatz issued the following statement strongly criticizing the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 1644, the “Save the Internet Act”:

“Today’s vote in the House of Representatives to pass H.R. 1644, the ‘Save the Internet Act,’ would enable the federal government to take over the internet and is a dangerous step toward socialism. The legislation would cost hundreds of thousands of jobs, halt the expansion of broadband access in rural America, and stall innovation that would improve services that businesses and consumers desperately need to succeed and grow.

“The internet is unquestionably an information service, not a telephone service, and should not be governed by ancient Title II regulations from the Communications Act of 1934, which would occur should H.R. 1644 become law. That would cause serious damage to the economy and the entire internet ecosystem.

“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has deemed this legislation dead on arrival in the Senate and President Trump has issued a veto threat. CCAGW agrees that H.R. 1644 should not go any further in the legislative process.”

Background:

• The Democratic proposal would enact into law the Open Internet Order from the Obama administration, which was a two-year anomaly in the history of the government using a light touch in regulating the internet.
• It would overturn the Restoring Open Internet Freedom Order (RIFO) adopted by the Federal Communications Commission on December 14, 2017. The RIFO restored the status quo and has led to a significant increase in investment and innovation.

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

Contacts

Curtis Kalin (202) 467-5318

This article published with permission from Business Wire