House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Chairman Marsha Blackburn introduced a net neutrality bill that would update the Communications Act to prohibit blocking and throttling of internet traffic and leave in place the new transparency requirements recently adopted by the Federal Communications Commission.
The bill looks to define what will be considered reasonable network management practices and to grant FCC the authority to enforce these obligations. It would also clarify that the FCC has no further authority to regulate broadband beyond the powers specifically outlined in the bill and would pre-empt states from regulating broadband as well. In addition, the bill would clarify that broadband services would be eligible to receive Universal Service Fund support.
During an open meeting Dec. 14, the FCC approved a major overhaul to its net neutrality regulations in a party-line vote. The new order, which will go into effect in early 2018, reclassifies broadband as a Title I service under the Communications Act, giving the FCC less regulatory authority over the service. The order also eliminated the commission's previous net neutrality rules, which prohibited network operators from blocking or throttling legal internet traffic, or prioritizing certain traffic in exchange for payment.
Under the newly adopted order, broadband providers will be subject to a transparency rule requiring them to publicly disclose if and when traffic is blocked, throttled or prioritized. The Federal Trade Commission will monitor and take enforcement actions against any anti-competitive or deceptive business practices.
In a statement, Republican FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly called the bill, dubbed "Open Internet Preservation Act," "a thoughtful approach" that includes "necessary boundaries, and offers a realistic opportunity for compromise and finality on this much-debated issue."
