President Obama came forward Monday, with his support for the concept known as net neutrality. Simply put, net neutrality is the idea that Internet service providers should give equal access to the Internet regardless of the source and not prioritize or block content.
In an open letter to the Federal Communications Commission, the president urged FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler to “create a new set of rules protecting net neutrality.” President Obama went on to say that corporations should not “act as a gatekeeper, restricting what you can do or see online.”
If President Obama comes out in favor of a major concept or idea, you can bet that just won’t do for some congressional Republicans. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, took quick action to ensure his voice was heard by tweeting “‘Net Neutrality’ is Obamacare for the Internet; the Internet should not operate at the speed of government.” Followed by Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., calling President Obama’s statement “a Trojan Horse for a government takeover of the Internet.” It doesn’t stop there, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Minority leader —likely to be Majority Leader— Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., have both come out against Obama’s position on net neutrality as well. While it is the FCC and not capitol hill who makes the judgement call on how to classify Internet service providers, to say Congress has no clout in the FCC’s ruling would be disingenuous.
According to a poll conducted by the University of Delaware’s Center for Political Communication, 81 percent of Americans oppose allowing ISPs to charge websites for faster speeds. The number is even higher for Republicans, coming in at 85 percent opposed. This should make doing the bidding of the American people quite easy. With the backing of more than 8 out of 10 Americans, you’d think this would be the perfect starting point for Republicans in the House and Senate to reconcile their differences with the president in order to make good on all the talk of bipartisanship following the Nov. 4 elections. But with Republican leadership vehemently opposed to Obama’s position, you can bet this will not be over quickly.
Cullen is a senior majoring in history and political science. Do you agree or disagree with his assessment on net neutrality? Is there a position he may have overlooked? We want to hear your side. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
