{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8CD5CD65-9FB1-4E8F-9214-885C54EC9D38", "Thune Calls Out Biden\u2019s Radical Return to Obama-Era Net Neutrality Proposal", "2023-10-04", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", "thune", "https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases", "scraper", "Click here to watch the video.\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke on the Senate floor about the Biden administration\u2019s attempt to return to failed, heavy-handed Obama-era regulations on the internet. Thune noted that in order to maintain a free and open internet, Democrats should reject the administration\u2019s misguided net neutrality power grab.\n\nThune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\n\n\u201cMr. President, the specter of heavy-handed government regulation of the internet reared its head once again last week with the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s announcement that it will consider a so-called net neutrality proposal at its October meeting.\n\n\u201cSo what is net neutrality, Mr. President?\n\n\u201cWell, at its most basic level, it\u2019s simply the idea that internet service providers shouldn\u2019t prioritize or block certain internet traffic at the expense of others.\n\n\u201cUnderstood in that way, it\u2019s a concept that enjoys broad support in both parties.\n\n\u201cBut that\u2019s not what we\u2019re talking about with the Biden FCC\u2019s net neutrality proposal.\n\n\u201cLike the Obama FCC before it, the Biden FCC wants to assert broad new government powers over the internet using rules that were designed for telephone monopolies back during the Great Depression.\n\n\u201c\u2018Today, there is no expert agency ensuring that the internet is fast, open, and fair,\u2019 FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said last week, proving once again that Democrats\u2019 faith in Washington experts is undying \u2013 and that nothing scares a Democrat more than the thought of some aspect of society not being regulated by the federal government.\n\n\u201cMr. President, this is not the first time Democrats have sounded the alarm about the perils that await us if we don\u2019t let the government regulate the internet with a heavy hand.\n\n\u201cIn fact, back in 2015 the Obama FCC actually implemented the regulatory regime the Biden FCC is considering imposing.\n\n\u201cThis opened the door to a whole host of new internet regulations, including price regulations.\n\n\u201cAnd, unsurprisingly, broadband investment declined as a result.\n\n\u201cThat was a problem for Americans generally, who benefit when the United States is at the forefront of internet growth and expansion.\n\n\u201cAnd it was particularly bad news for Americans in rural states like South Dakota.\n\n\u201cGetting broadband to rural communities is already more challenging than installing broadband in cities or suburbs, and the possibility of heavier regulations acted as a further disincentive to expanding access.\n\n\u201cFast forward to 2017, and the FCC under Chairman Pai voted to repeal the heavy-handed internet regulation passed by the Obama FCC.\n\n\u201cThe prospect of this repeal was greeted with near hysteria from Democrats.\n\n\u201cWe were told that internet traffic would slow to a crawl.\n\n\u201cThat innovation would be stifled.\n\n\u201cThat our freedom of speech was threatened.\n\n\u201cAnd more.\n\n\u201cAnd in the wake of the repeal \u2026 none of the things Democrats predicted came to pass.\n\n\u201cThe internet as we know it not only survived; it thrived.\n\n\u201cInnovation flourished.\n\n\u201cThe internet remained a vehicle for free and open discourse.\n\n\u201cAnd internet speeds not only didn\u2019t slow down, they got faster and faster.\n\n\u201cDuring the pandemic, despite the explosive growth in internet usage, American networks had no problem keeping up with demand, delivering the reliable service Americans have come to expect.\n\n\u201cContrast that with Europe \u2013 where internet regulation is much more heavy-handed \u2013 which struggled to deal with increased internet usage.\n\n\u201cIn fact, European service providers slowed internet speeds to maintain connectivity.\n\n\u201cThe United States is now a leader in adopting next-generation telecommunications services like 5G and advanced Wi-Fi while Europe struggles to keep pace.\n\n\u201cBut that may not last if the Biden FCC goes ahead with its net neutrality plans.\n\n\u201cAs I said, the last time a Democrat-led FCC put heavy-handed internet regulation in place, broadband investment declined.\n\n\u201cAnd there\u2019s good reason to believe that the same thing would happen this time.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s also substantial reason to be concerned that the Biden FCC\u2019s proposed regulatory regime would result in higher internet bills for Americans.\n\n\u201cAs FCC Commissioner Carr \u2013 a Republican appointee who opposes Democrats\u2019 proposal \u2013 recently pointed out, and I quote, \u2018Since 2017, the prices Americans pay for Internet services have decreased on an inflation-adjusted basis. Meanwhile, the prices for utility-regulated services like electricity, water, and gas have increased over two times faster than the prices for Internet services. Monopoly regulations invariably lead to monopoly prices. In addition, Title II regulation opens the door to regulators adding new taxes and fees to consumers\u2019 monthly broadband bills.\u2019\n\n\u201cAnd in addition to higher prices for consumers and decreased broadband investment, another consequence of the Biden FCC\u2019s proposed new regulatory regime could be government interference in internet traffic.\n\n\u201cIronically, given Democrats\u2019 professed concerns, it is precisely the net neutrality regime they\u2019re calling for that could imperil the free and open internet they claim to want.\n\n\u201cUnder the regulatory regime the Biden FCC wants to impose, the federal government would be allowed to block or prioritize internet traffic or otherwise interfere with the free flow of information.\n\n\u201cAnd given the Biden administration\u2019s demonstrated willingness to use its regulatory power to advance its social and environmental agenda, it\u2019s not hard to imagine the Biden administration using this proposed new regulatory power to shape Americans\u2019 internet experience for its own ends.\n\n\u201cMr. President, the Biden FCC should be focused on addressing real challenges, such as continuing our efforts to close the digital divide and ensure that every American has access to high-speed broadband.\n\n\u201cIt should not be wasting time and money advancing a solution to a problem that doesn\u2019t exist.\n\n\u201cThanks in substantial part to the light-touch regulatory regime currently in place, the internet in the United States is thriving and bringing new benefits to American families and businesses.\n\n\u201cAnd if Democrats really want a free and open internet \u2013 and to keep the U.S. at the forefront of broadband development \u2013 they will oppose the Biden FCC\u2019s heavy-handed power grab.\n\n\u201cMr. President, I yield the floor.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:43:12Z"]], "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.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=8CD5CD65-9FB1-4E8F-9214-885C54EC9D38"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6995128933340311, "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"}