CWA Opposes Move toward Internet Regulation

CWA announced opposition to House legislation to regulate high-speed Internet networks supposedly to insure "net neutrality," but which "will result in the unintended consequence of delayed deployment of high-speed networks, with particularly negative impact on underserved communities."

In a letter to House Judiciary Committee members opposing H.R. 5417, the "Internet Freedom and Nondiscrimination Act," President Larry Cohen said the bill's requirement that networks offer services for free to big content providers like Google and Microsoft will stifle deployment and shift the costs of broadband rollout to consumers.

"Under such an arrangement, broadband network providers would not be able to recover the billions of dollars they invest in the construction of high-speed networks," Cohen stated. "As a result, investment in the physical infrastructure necessary to provide high-speed Internet will slow down, the U.S. will fall even further behind the rest of the world, and our rural and low-income populations will wait even longer to enter the digital age."

The committee approved the controversial bill by a 20-13 vote on May 25, but whether it will move to the House floor is uncertain.

Cohen declared that CWA favors an "open Internet" with full access for everyone, and stated that "there are ways to protect an open Internet that do not neutralize network investment." He suggested building on the approach in another House bill, H.R. 5252 — the "Barton bill" — which gives the Federal Communications Commission authority to handle complaints about service issues.

In this way, "The FCC would have the authority to ensure consumers can access the lawful content of their choice, run applications and services of their choice, connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network, and ensure competition among network providers, application and service providers, and content providers," his letter stated.