Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Marsha Blackburn today renewed her fight to block the FCC's efforts to implement new net neutrality rules. In response to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's announcement this week that the FCC would begin the process of rewriting the agency's Net Neutrality rules, Blackburn has introduced H.R. 4070, the Internet Freedom Act of 2014.
Congressman Blackburn's legislation would block the FCC's Net Neutrality rules from 2010 by stating they shall have no force or effect and prohibits the FCC from reissuing new Net Neutrality rules.
"In typical fashion, the Obama Administration is proving once again that they will stop at nothing to restrict our Internet freedom. Despite having their regulations rejected by a federal appeals court, Chairman Wheeler has decided to press forward with the effort to implement these overreaching rules.
"Net Neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine of the Internet. Once the FCC has a foothold into managing how internet service providers run their networks they will essentially be deciding which content goes first, second, third, or not at all. It's time for Congress to slam the FCC's regulatory back-door shut, lock it, and return the keys to the free market. My legislation will put the brakes on net neutrality and protect our innovators from these job-killing regulations."
Earlier this year, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the FCC's net neutrality rules, which were first proposed in 2010 by former Chairman Julius Genachowski. Congressman Blackburn has been leading the fight against the Obama Administration's net neutrality rules and first introduced the Internet Freedom Act during the 112th Congress.