FCC Gives Government Power to Regulate Web Traffic

I love this sentence in the report: "A divided Federal Communications Commission approved a proposal by Chairman Julius Genachowski to give the FCC power to prevent broadband providers from selectively blocking web traffic."

In other words, the FCC gave itself the authority to regulate the internet. What happened to requiring the "people's representatives" to vote on something of this magnitude. It appears that the Executive branch has gone from enforcing the laws enacted by Congress, to creating the laws themselves. We all know that, for many years, the regulations formulated by the various departments have gradually transferred the power of Congress to the Executive branch.

With the "power of the purse strings", perhaps the new Republican majority in the House will be able to stem the tide and reign in the White House. A 50% budget reduction for the FCC might be a good start.

Excerpt: Federal telecommunications regulators approved new rules Tuesday that would for the first time give the federal government formal authority to regulate Internet traffic, although how much or for how long remained unclear.

The FCC has approved rules that would give the federal government authority to regulate Internet traffic and prevent broadband providers from selectively blocking web traffic. WSJ's Amy Schatz explains what the new rules really mean.



The rules will go into effect early next year, but legal challenges or action by Congress could block the FCC's action. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) on Tuesday called the FCC's action "flawed" and said lawmakers would "have an opportunity in the new Congress to push back against new rules and regulations."

Read the full WSJ article here.