Senator McConnell Co-sponsors Legislation to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules
Press Release
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is signing on today as a co-sponsor of Senator Mike Lee's (R-UT) bill, the Restoring Internet Freedom Act. The legislation would repeal the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) net neutrality rules. The FCC's current rules give government more control over the Internet, while potentially making access to content more expensive for consumers.
"The growth of the Internet and the rapid adoption of mobile technology have been great American success stories. And they were made possible by a light regulatory touch. In fact, it's this "light touch' consensus that allowed innovators to develop and sell the products people want -- and to create the kind of high-quality jobs Americans need -- without waiting around for government permission," Senator McConnell said. "I joined on to Senator Lee's legislation today because I remain deeply concerned that the Obama Administration's plan to regulate the Internet will limit effective network management, jeopardize new broadband deployment, and strike a serious blow to the future of innovation in our country. The Administration needs to get beyond its 1930s rotary-telephone mindset and embrace the future. That means encouraging innovation, not suffocating it under the weight of an outdated bureaucracy."
"The economic burden of these regulations will fall squarely on the backs of the consumers the FCC purports to help," Senator Lee said. "The threat of anticompetitive behavior should always be taken seriously. But it makes no sense for a five-person panel of presidential appointees to write a sweeping law aimed at solving a problem that might someday exist. There are more effective, more democratic, and less intrusive ways to address anticompetitive behavior, including existing antitrust and consumer-protection laws."
In addition to Senator McConnell, the legislation is co-sponsored by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Rand Paul (R-KY), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Tom Tillis (R-NC).
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