{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lee.senate.gov/2024/3/sens-lee-and-cruz-lead-senate-republicans-in-challenging-fcc-s-unlawful-digital-equity-rules", "Sens. Lee and Cruz Lead Senate Republicans in Challenging FCC\u2019s Unlawful \u2018Digital Equity\u2019 Rules", "2024-03-14", "2024", "2024-03", "Republican", "Senate", "UT", "Mike Lee", "L000577", "www.lee.senate.gov", "mikelee", "https://www.lee.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) led a group of 19 senators in introducing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) joint resolution of disapproval to nullify the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s (FCC) so-called \u201cDigital Discrimination\u201d order. The order, which the FCC voted to finalize in November, gives the federal government control over nearly every aspect of the broadband industry while exposing companies to expansive, indeterminate, and crippling liability under a \u201cdisparate impact\u201d standard. The FCC\u2019s order, which ignores the plain language of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will harm broadband investment and undermine the goal of promoting high-speed internet access for all Americans.\n\n\u201cThe FCC\u2019s heavy-handed 'Digital Discrimination' rule is a solution in search of a problem,\u201d said Sen. Lee. \u201cIt\u2019s a broad overreach that threatens to entangle the internet in red tape, jeopardizing the very innovation that has made it a cornerstone of modern life. This resolution is our stand against Biden's attempt to regulate the internet into oblivion, ensuring the internet remains a dynamic and competitive marketplace for ideas, not a utility subject to government whims.\u201d\n\n\u201cDespite admitting there\u2019s \u2018little to no evidence\u2019 of discrimination by broadband companies, the Biden administration has plowed ahead with government-mandated affirmative action and race-based pricing for broadband,\u201dsaid Sen. Cruz. \u201cThe only beneficiaries of the FCC\u2019s Orwellian \u2018equity\u2019 plan are overzealous government regulators who want to control the internet. This resolution will roll back FCC Democrats\u2019 unlawful power grab.\u201d\n\nUnder the FCC\u2019s new order, nearly every aspect of the internet\u2014including a broadband provider\u2019s deployment decisions, network reliability, network maintenance, equipment, pricing, promotional discounts, customer service, language options, credit checks, marketing and advertising, and more\u2014will be subject to potential FCC enforcement actions, including multi-million-dollar forfeitures and injunctive orders, under a disparate impact standard.\n\nBack in November, Sen. Lee joined a group of 28 senators in calling on the FCC to rescind its draft order.\n\nCo-sponsors of the joint resolution of disapproval include: Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.).\n\nRepresentatives Earl L. \u201cBuddy\u201d Carter (R-Ga.) and Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) have introduced companion legislation in the House.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T20:32:04Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lee.senate.gov/2024/3/sens-lee-and-cruz-lead-senate-republicans-in-challenging-fcc-s-unlawful-digital-equity-rules"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5432098880410194, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}