CEI Statement on Today’s Net Neutrality Vote

Competitive Enterprise Institute associate director of technology studies Ryan Radia issued the following statement on Thursday's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote to implement new net neutrality rules: 

"Today, the FCC voted on party lines to reverse its successful policy of keeping the government’s hands off the Internet. Thanks to three unelected bureaucrats, Internet providers will now be governed by an 81-year old law written for the Ma Bell telephone monopoly. Although big broadband businesses dislike the FCC’s decision, they aren’t the ones who will suffer the most. Instead, the innovators who will build tomorrow’s networks—and the American consumers who will benefit from them—are the real losers today. Any company, big or small, that wants to offer Internet access to Americans’ homes or smartphones must now navigate through the arcana of a federal regulatory agency—the three words an entrepreneur least wants to hear.

"This vote also makes a mockery of the notion that the FCC is an “expert” agency that carefully examines the facts and makes decisions based on hard evidence. What in the world has changed that merits the rush to regulate Internet companies? As FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler tells it, a few “gatekeepers” control the Internet—but in reality, Americans enjoy plenty of competition and choice when it comes to speedy Internet services. Yet the FCC denies this reality, pulling facts and figures out of thin air to justify its decision to regulate the Internet.

"Most Internet users can see through this charade. Hopefully, so will federal courts."