[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 33 (Thursday, February 26, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H1176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 FCC EXPANDING AUTHORITY OVER INTERNET

  (Mr. YODER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. YODER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this 
administration's continued policy of governing from behind closed doors 
and using the executive branch to take more freedom away from the 
American people.
  Today the Federal Communications Commission will vote for an 
unprecedented expansion of its authority over the Internet, without 
providing any public discourse on the details of the proposal.
  What we do know about this government invasion into the Internet is 
deeply troubling. The Internet has been a source of great creativity, 
investment, and economic growth, an area of freedom, where innovation 
has flourished and entrepreneurs, startups, and anyone with an idea has 
opportunity.
  What is Washington's answer to this booming marketplace? Government 
control and regulation.
  One of the Commissioners has referred to it as ``a solution that 
won't work to a problem that doesn't exist.'' This is deeply troubling.
  I know of no industry that has become more vibrant, more free, or led 
to more innovation after a government takeover. Allowing the FCC to 
designate the Internet a regulated utility will increase taxes and 
allow government to decide pricing, cost, content, or anything else. 
This is the camel's nose under the tent.
  The FCC should release its proposals and allow the American people 
back behind its closed doors.

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