FCC commissioner deems Biden’s internet control plan as “sweeping, unprecedented, and unlawful.”
FCC Commissioner Slams Biden’s “Digital Equity” Plan as an Unlawful Power Grab
Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr is calling the Biden administration’s ”digital equity” plan for all internet services and infrastructure an “unlawful power grab.”
Democratic Party Elders Sound the Alarm on Biden
Carr previewed an important FCC vote next week on Nov. 15 about whether to implement the president’s plan.
“Congress never contemplated the sweeping regulatory regime that President Biden asked the FCC to adopt—let alone authorized the agency to implement it,” he said.
Carr explained that the Biden administration’s “broadband policies are failing” and the “costs of building Internet infrastructure in this country have skyrocketed” due to his economic policies. While the FCC has been looking to expand “new, 5G services,” it has “needlessly blocked and delayed new broadband infrastructure builds” because of “regulatory red tape.”
The commissioner said President Joe Biden has chosen to blame “the private sector and free market capitalism itself for the Administration’s own policy shortfalls” and is pushing the FCC to adopt “a one-page section of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Infrastructure Act),” which has “new rules of breathtaking scope, all in the name of ‘digital equity.'”
“For the first time ever, those rules would give the federal government a roving mandate to micromanage nearly every aspect of how the Internet functions—from how internet service providers allocate capital and where they build, to the services that consumers can purchase; from the profits that ISPs can realize and how they market and advertise services, to the discounts and promotions that consumers can receive. Talk about central planning,” Carr warned.
If passed, the FCC would be empowered, for the first time, to regulate every ISP’s service termination terms, use of customer credit, account history, credit checks, and account termination, among many other items.
“There is no path to complying with this standardless regime. It reads like a planning document drawn up in the faculty lounge of a university’s Soviet Studies Department,” Carr said.
He added, “The Biden Administration’s plan empowers the FCC to regulate every aspect of the Internet sector for the first time ever. The plan is motivated by an ideology of government control that is not compatible with the fundamental precepts of free market capitalism.”
Former FCC policy adviser Evan Swarztrauber said of Biden’s plan, “To call it ‘extreme’ or ‘radical’ doesn’t do this proposal justice.”
“Biden is turning ‘digital discrimination’ into a pretext for regulating everything. For equity,” Phil Kerpen, president of American Commitment, said of the Biden plan for the FCC.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
How does Commissioner Brendan Carr view President Biden’s “digital equity” plan?
To use ”digital equity” as a guise to expand the FCC’s power and control over the internet. He argued that the plan is an overreach of authority and violates the principles of limited government and free markets.
Carr also criticized the Biden administration’s focus on government-funded broadband programs instead of incentivizing private investment and competition. He highlighted the success of previous market-driven initiatives in expanding internet access and argued that government intervention will only stifle innovation and limit consumer choices.
Furthermore, Carr noted that the FCC already has existing programs in place to address the digital divide and ensure internet access for underserved communities. He questioned the necessity of Biden’s plan and emphasized the need to prioritize efficient and effective utilization of existing resources.
The FCC commissioner urged his colleagues to reject the “unlawful power grab” and instead focus on promoting pro-growth policies that encourage private sector investments and advancements in digital infrastructure. He argued that competition and market-based solutions are the key to achieving digital equity and ensuring affordable and accessible internet services for all Americans.
In conclusion, Commissioner Brendan Carr strongly criticized President Biden’s “digital equity” plan as an unlawful power grab by the FCC. He emphasized the importance of limited government and market-driven initiatives in expanding internet access and criticized the administration’s focus on government-funded programs. Carr urged his colleagues to reject the plan and instead prioritize pro-growth policies that encourage private investment and competition.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
