The GOP’s Senate Takeover Could Be a Big Deal for Net Neutrality and Patent Reform

CEI's Ryan Radia discusses net neutrality, patent reform and online privacy with Vox Media:
 

Net Neutrality:
"Still, Ryan Radia of the Competitive Enterprise Institute says there's a lot that Republicans can do to pressure Wheeler to take a more hands-off approach to the issue. Congressional committees can grill Wheeler and other FCC commissioners about their approach to the issue. And they also have the power of the purse: they can cut the FCC's funding, limiting the agency's ability to enforce the regulations and giving him an incentive to change course."

Privacy:
"Radia argues that email privacy legislation has a better chance of passage under the new Republican Congress. "Ultimately Republicans tend to be more skeptical of regulatory agencies like the SEC than Democrats," Radia says."
 

Copyright Reform:
"Radia says the only copyright reform idea that has received any significant attention in Congress lately is the fight over royalty rates paid to broadcast music over the airwaves and over the internet. That issue might get action in 2015. "Other than music, it's hard to see copyright reform at least until 2016," Radia says. "There are fewareas of reform where the consensus is sufficiently broad to make action imminent.""
 

Cybersecurity:
"CISPA passed the Republican House in 2013, and Radia says Republican control of the Senate makes it more likely that Congress will pass information-sharing legislation in 2015. Given the GOP's hostility toward regulation, it seems unlikely that proposals to regulate "critical infrastructure" will get traction in 2015."