{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.thune.senate.gov//public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=6A7230B1-BE06-4B6C-8344-A5206D11BE54", "Thune Commends FCCs Internet Freedom Order", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "SD", "John Thune", "T000250", "www.thune.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014\u00a0\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\tU.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, ahead of the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s (FCC) planned Thursday vote on Chairman Ajit Pai\u2019s Restoring Internet Freedom order to repeal regulation of the internet put in place in 2015 under the Obama administration, today took to the Senate floor to praise the FCC\u2019s work and transparency while calling on supporters of an open internet to support bipartisan legislation.\r\nSen. Thune\u2019s remarks below (as prepared for delivery):\r\n\u201cMr. President, for more than two decades, under both Republican and Democratic Presidents, and Republican and Democratic Congresses, the United States pursued a bipartisan \u201clight-touch\u201d approach to internet regulation.\u00a0\r\n\u201cThe internet as we know it today flourished under this \u201clight-touch\u201d approach, much to the benefit of American consumers and the domestic economy.\u00a0\r\n\u201cIt also made America the world leader in internet technology, and positioned us to continue that leadership in the years to come.\r\n\u201cIn 2002, broadband internet was classified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) \u2013 our nation\u2019s communications regulator \u2013 as an information service under Title I of the Communications Act.\u00a0\r\n\u201cThis classification exempted the internet from burdensome regulations contained in Title II of the Communications Act, which were designed in the Depression era for the old telephone monopolies.\u00a0\r\n\u201cUnder the Obama administration, though, we saw repeated attempts to bring the internet under greater government control.\r\n\u201cFinally, in 2015, at the explicit direction of President Obama, the FCC did as it was told and reclassified broadband internet access service as a Title II service, subjecting broadband internet to onerous common carrier rules \u2013 and opening the door to further regulation, including price regulation.\u00a0\r\n\u201cNot surprisingly, with heavier regulation came a decline in broadband investment.\u00a0 Indeed, we have seen private investment in broadband infrastructure decline over the past two years.\r\n\u201cThis decline should not be mistaken as a sign that broadband infrastructure is not needed.\u00a0 In fact, the opposite is true, as there are still 34 million Americans who lack access to broadband services at home.\u00a0\r\n\u201cIn states like my home state of South Dakota, encouraging broadband deployment continues to be critical to ensuring rural areas have the same economic opportunity as their urban counterparts.\r\n\u201cThe federal government should not be putting up barriers to broadband deployment \u2013 it should be removing them.\u00a0\r\n\u201cCongress and the FCC need to ensure a regulatory framework is in place that protects consumers, but doesn\u2019t stand in the way of investment and innovation.\r\n\u201cPrior to the FCC\u2019s 2015 actions to bring broadband under Title II, and for more than a decade under the \u201clight-touch\u201d regulatory framework of Title I, we saw unprecedented growth that revolutionized our daily lives and allowed us to stay better connected with our loved ones.\u00a0\r\n \u201cThe internet created new jobs and expanded opportunities for education and commerce.\u00a0 It became the greatest engine of innovation for our times.\r\n\u201cAnd despite the fearmongering and doomsday rhetoric that continues to plague this debate, when the FCC moves forward with its order and restores the internet to its pre-2015 regulatory status, the internet will continue to thrive and serve as an engine for future economic growth.\r\n\u201cI commend Chairman Pai and the Commission for all the hard work over the last year that has gotten us to this point.\u00a0\r\n\u201cI also commend Chairman Pai for his commitment to transparency throughout this process.\r\n\u201cFor the first time in the history of the Commission, under Chairman Pai\u2019s leadership, the public was able to view the Restoring Internet Freedom item three weeks prior to the FCC\u2019s vote.\u00a0\r\n\u201cThat is true of all documents to be considered by the Commission \u2013 a major departure from the previous administration\u2019s actions, which were often not made public until the very last minute.\r\n\u201cAs a result of Chairman Pai\u2019s commitment to transparency, the public has the benefit of not only viewing the item, but also participating in the process.\u00a0\r\n\u201cDespite attempts by those more interested in politicizing the issue and distracting from the debate, this item resulted in the most well-informed and exhaustive record of comments ever submitted at the FCC.\r\n\u201cThe FCC is now well-positioned to move forward to ensure the internet is open and free.\r\n\u201cRegrettably, however, the debate doesn\u2019t end here.\u00a0\r\n\u201cThe outcry from opponents of the FCC\u2019s proposal is that the internet will fall apart without adequate consumer protections.\u00a0\r\n\u201cThere is obviously immense passion that follows the issue of net neutrality.\u00a0 Americans care deeply about preserving a free and open internet.\u00a0 As do I and so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.\r\n\u201cAs I have stated repeatedly, and I will say again today, Congressional action is the only way to solve the endless back and forth on net neutrality rules that we\u2019ve seen over the past several years.\r\n\u201cIf my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and those who claim to support net neutrality rules, want to enshrine protections for consumers with the backing of the law, I call on you today to join me in discussing legislation to do just that.\r\n\u201cWhile we won\u2019t agree on everything, I believe there is much room for compromise.\u00a0 So many of us in Congress already agree on many of the principles of net neutrality.\u00a0\r\n\u201cTrue supporters of an open internet should be demanding such legislative protections today \u2013 not posturing while waiting for years during protracted legal proceedings or waiting for the political winds to turn.\r\n\u201cIf Republicans and Democrats have the political support to work together on such a compromise, we can enact a regulatory framework that will stand the test of time.\u00a0\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve stood willing to work with any and all supporters of net neutrality protections for many years now and I continue to stand ready today.\u00a0\r\n\u201cIt is time for Congress to settle this debate and I welcome discussion on ways to ensure a free and open internet for decades to come.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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?ContentRecord_id=6A7230B1-BE06-4B6C-8344-A5206D11BE54"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5825140289962292, "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"}