Dem-Controlled FCC Moves Closer Toward Restoring Net Neutrality

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a major step toward finalizing the restoration of net neutrality on Thursday.

Net neutrality rules force internet service providers to enable access to all websites and content providers at equal rates and speeds, regardless of their size or content. Democrats now outnumber Republicans on the FCC, and the commission voted in favor of a notice of proposed rulemaking Thursday at the meeting.

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Arizona Sens. Sinema, Kelly Pivotal Two Votes Preventing Confirmation of ‘Radical Left-Wing’ Gigi Sohn to FCC

Gigi Sohn has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), but not a single Republican in the Senate has said they will vote to approve her confirmation. If every Senate Democrat votes to confirm her, plus Vice President Kamala Harris as a tie-breaking vote, Sohn will be confirmed, but insiders say two pivotal Democratic senators have indicated they will vote no, Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly.

In an op-ed for The Register-Herald, former West Virginia legislator Mike Oliverio said Sohn has “radical left-wing viewpoints.” He cited her “record calling Fox News state-sponsored propaganda and questioning whether Sinclair Broadcasting should have their broadcast licenses revoked.”

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Biden’s Executive Order Targets Big Tech, Urges FCC to Restore Net Neutrality

Joe Biden

President Joe Biden is taking aim at Big Tech and Big Telecom’s growing power with a new executive order that will add regulations and facilitate competition within the industries.

The order, which Biden is expected to sign Friday, includes over 70 provisions, all aimed at promoting competition within tech and telecom, both of which have become more monopolistic in recent years.

It encourages the Federal Trade Commission to overhaul its rules regarding personal data collection and bans unfair competition practices online, according to a White House fact sheet. It also calls for more scrutiny when examining potential corporate mergers, especially when a larger corporation acquires a smaller one or when it could affect customers’ privacy or competition within the sector.

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Commentary: Define ‘Net Neutrality,’ Then Write Rules

On the campaign trail, the Biden campaign voiced its support for network neutrality—“net neutrality” for short.  The topic has resurfaced in recent weeks and months thanks to a few key events.  These include the appointment of a new acting FCC chairwoman, the DOJ dropping a lawsuit against the state of California, and Biden’s choice of Tim Wu, the so-called “father of net neutrality,” for a National Economic Council role.

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Commentary: The Social Media Purge Exposes Net Neutrality’s True Goal

For nearly two decades, Silicon Valley made net neutrality its highest policy priority. Under the banner of a “free and open” internet, Google, Facebook, and Twitter sought regulations to ensure the uninterrupted flow of information by treating every bit equally. Or so they said.

Beginning last Friday night, these firms and others executed an unprecedented digital purge of the social media and video accounts of their political rivals. After several years of accelerating suspensions and suppressions, this time YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter permanently banned a number of high-profile conservatives and deplatformed thousands of others, at least temporarily. Many of these accounts had nothing to do with last Wednesday’s heinous events at the Capitol. Yet their histories are erased.

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Pelosi: Democrats Are Preparing to Bring Net Neutrality Back from the Dead

by Chris White   House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims her caucus will introduce legislation Wednesday replacing the open internet rules the Trump administration dinged in 2018. A bill called the Save the Internet Act is set to be unveiled Wednesday and will be introduced in the Senate as well, the California Democrat told colleagues in a letter Monday. Details about the potential bill have not yet been made public. Democrats spent the past two years fuming after Federal Communication Commission Chairman Ajit Pai voted to repeal the so-called Open Internet rules, a series of Obama-era regulations prohibiting internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking or throttling websites or creating fast lanes. He argued at the time that the rules were overbearing and not within the purview of the FCC. Republicans frequently criticize reclassifying broadband as a telecommunications service, which designates ISPs as common carriers and opens up the industry to tougher regulation. Conservatives believe the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is a more appropriate agency to impose tough penalties when and if companies attempt to block certain types of traffic. Both parties and the broadband industry want legislation codifying net neutrality implemented, but partisan divisions over what rules should be in effect…

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