Department of the Internet Helpline

President Obama is Actively Pushing for More Government Control of the Internet

President Obama has called for heavier federal regulation of Internet providers by treating broadband similar to any other public utility, by allowing the Federal Communications Commission to impose Title II of the Communications Act. The attempt by the Obama Administration to regulate the Internet as a public utility will take power away from consumers and small business owners, and places it in the hands of Government. Increased government regulation of the internet will drive costs up, slow innovation down, and place bureaucrats in charge of choosing winners and losers.

Government Control Will Lead to Greater Privacy Violations

The Obama Administration has one of the worst records on privacy and freedom. With the NSA, the Obama White House collected countless personal records and invaded the privacy of millions of Americans. Now the government wants the power to regulate your Internet and have the ultimate say in which websites are viewed. The White House is spiraling into a tyrannical “Big Brother”-like government, imposing regulations and monitoring what people can do and say. The Internet is just the last stop on the government’s mission to control free speech.

Government Control Will Make Censorship in the US Easier and Harm Free Speech

The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. The later amendments to the act did not provide for regulation of internet. Therefore, the FCC has no jurisdiction over what content an individual broadcasts over the Internet. This protection now is under attack by Democratic lawmakers who believe that the providers should be included in the FCC’s family of censored media. These bureaucrats believe FCC censorship efforts should extend to unlicensed media sources, such as cable, satellite, and Internet providers.

The Internet is one of the last sources of freedom and dynamism in the United States. Censorship not only puts innovation risk, it threatens the basic liberty of freedom of speech. It is evident that the FCC is seeking to smother free speech of those with little or no voice on the one medium where information flow is still treated equally. The internet was designed to be a place where people can share their ideas and there is NO room for censorship and discrimination when it comes to Internet access.

Government Control Will Hurt Innovation and Growth

Broadband Internet provides a source of freedom and opportunity for all largely due to its ability to flourish in an unregulated state. If Internet access is regulated excessively with red tape, innovation will not longer exist. If Title II is passed, bureaucrats will regulate every aspect of how job creators and innovators run their daily lives and businesses. The White House’s attempt to control broadband Internet with this outdated regulation threatens current jobs and potential opportunity for millions of Americans only made possible by a free Internet.

Government Control will Increase Costs to Consumers

Not only will Title II expand governmental control, regulating the Internet as a public utility will cause consumer fees and taxes to skyrocket. Internet service providers would be subject to more than $11 billion a year in new fees. Additionally, various state and local taxes could pass on an upcharge of as much as $84 or more to your household’s yearly broadband bill.

Banning Paid Prioritization Doesn’t Require a Government Takeover

Much of the argument surrounding the FCC’s reclassification power-grab is over the issue of paid prioritization. Prioritization refers to whether or not an Internet provider can charge for priority delivery or lowest definite speed over broadband networks. Title II will not actually prevent paid prioritization, and more importantly, that goal can be accomplished without handing over control of the Internet to Washington D.C.