Scalise Slams FCC Vote to Regulate the Internet

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) today issued the following statement after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to impose new federal “net neutrality” regulations.

“In a radical decision, three unelected bureaucrats at the FCC voted today to apply rules based on 1930s-era utility regulations to a 21^st century Internet,” Rep. Scalise said. “This is a gross overreach of the federal government’s power and a complete paradigm shift from the successful, light-touch regulatory approach that has allowed the Internet to flourish. The Internet has been such a great success for innovation and job creation, and we don’t need the heavy hand of the federal government to come in and ‘fix' what is not broken with the free and open internet we enjoy today.”

“I’m extremely disappointed that the FCC, supposedly an independent agency, bowed to political pressure from the White House and came to a decision that will produce years of lawsuits and uncertainty. I stand ready to lead the opposition against the FCC’s decision and to work with my colleagues to produce a legislative outcome that truly preserves and protects a free and open Internet.”