LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24 (PNA/Xinhua) — The nationwide fight against U.S. government’s attempt to regulate the Internet has significantly intensified as a final decision is to be announced on Thursday.
A petition letter is being circulated across the country to ask Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler to vote NO on the “Net Neutrality” plan designed to bring the Internet under government control.
“The Internet is one of the most positive forces for improving the human condition the world has ever known. It is the hub of innovation for the economy in America and the world,” the petition says.
“The attempt by the (Barack) Obama Administration to control the Internet as a public utility … will drive up costs, slow down innovation,” it adds.
Senator Rand Paul, who has joined the opponents, said Obama and the FCC “are going to take over the Internet … if we don’t do everything we can do to stop them right now.”
According to the lawmaker, the “Net Neutrality” plan will give the FCC the power to decide what Internet service providers can charge and how they operate.
“This is not only a direct attack on the free market, but it will also result in an increase in Internet access fees for millions of consumers in America,” he said.
“This latest attempt to regulate the web threatens to interrupt positive innovation, set the market back, and kill jobs,” he warned.
Congressman Jason Chaffetz from Utah, who’s also chairman of the U.S. House Oversight Committee, sent a letter Monday to Wheeler, questioning whether the FCC has been “independent, fair and transparent.”
“Although arguably one of the most sweeping new rules in the Commission’s history, the process was conducted without using many of the tools … to ensure transparency and public review,” he said.
The 332-page draft has yet been released to the public for review.
Local media say the rules for open Internet should ensure that service providers give consumers access to all legal content and applications on an equal basis without favoring or blocking some sources.
The draft to regulate the Internet came after Obama called for tougher net neutrality rules in November. (PNA/Xinhua)