President Trump and Net Neutrality Rulemaking at FCC

White House press briefing, Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, in reference to the current net neutrality debate, “The Trump administration believes the rules of the road are important for everyone – website providers, Internet service providers, and consumers alike . . . The Trump administration supports the FCC chair’s efforts to review and consider rolling back these rules.”

Competitive Enterprise Institute Research Fellow Ryan Radia responded:

“The Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules are the opposite of what American consumers want and need online. There is little evidence of the harms these regulations claim to prevent. The Trump administration is right to be skeptical of a federal agency acting as an Internet regulator. However, the FCC is an independent agency under current law and doctrine, so the President’s views on FCC rulemaking proceedings are not particularly relevant to the agency’s initiative to restore Internet freedom.

“Opponents of the FCC’s proposal to end public utility-style regulation of Internet service providers have sought to tarnish the agency’s efforts by tying them to the besieged Trump administration. If the President truly cares about Internet freedom, perhaps his administration should consider refraining from further comment on the FCC’s pending rulemaking.”

See more from CEI on net neutrality: