I emailed Pat Toomey (R-PA), my U.S. Senator, to encourage him to support net neutrality. As you can see from his response, he is opposed to it:
Whatever your position is on net neutrality, if you are a U.S. citizen, I encourage you to contact your senators and representatives and let them know where you stand. We may not all have the financial resources to compete with large telecoms, but we do still have the votes.Thank you for contacting me about Federal Communications Commissions' (FCC) net neutrality regulation. I appreciate knowing your thoughts on this issue.
As you may know, on December 21, 2010, the FCC adopted an Open Internet Order, better known as "net neutrality," that imposed new federal regulations on the types of services Internet providers could sell. Verizon Communications sued the FCC arguing that the regulations were too stringent and went beyond the agency's authority.
On January 14, 2014, in the case Verizon Communications Inc. v. FCC, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the FCC's net neutrality regulation. The Court stated that the FCC did not have the statuary authority to compel a broadband provider to follow the Open Internet Order.
I understand the concerns expressed by those who support net neutrality regulations; however, I also believe that such federal mandates would unduly inhibit this industry's innovation, investment in new technology, and job creation. Moreover, the Internet and online content have thrived in the United States without net neutrality regulations, which throws into question the need for more government intervention. Although there is currently no legislation before the Senate addressing net neutrality, please be assured that I will keep your thoughts on net neutrality in mind, should the Senate begin consideration of open internet legislation.
Thank you again for your correspondence. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Pat Toomey
U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania
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