Contact: Amy Smorodin
(202) 828-4405
November 10, 2014 – This morning the White House released a statement asserting support for the reclassification of consumer broadband service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act. The following statement can be attributed to Thomas Lenard, President of the Technology Policy Institute:
It is incomprehensible why President Obama wants to discard the light-handed regulatory regime that has been so successful in promoting U.S. leadership in the information economy, and instead encumber the internet with the antiquated, flawed public utility regulatory regime. This is surely the way to kill innovation in one of the real bright spots in the U.S. economy.
The FCC, as an independent agency, should base its decision on the best available data and analysis, none of which support Title II reclassification, rather than bending to political pressures. The rapid rate of change and the complexity of market arrangements in the internet ecosystem call not for new regulation, but a humble light-handed approach.
Lenard is available for further comment. Please contact Amy Smorodin at [email protected] or 202-495-7728.
The Technology Policy Institute
The Technology Policy Institute is a non-profit research and educational organization that focuses on the economics of innovation, technological change, and related regulation in the United States and around the world. More information is available at https://techpolicyinstitute.org/.
