{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.cantwell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-about-maria?ContentRecord_id=1196b3b8-4bc9-4a8e-800d-f4f44307cd19", "In the News: Cantwell to FCC: No toll lanes, Preserve Net Neutrality", "2014-11-19", "2014", "2014-11", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Maria Cantwell", "C000127", "www.cantwell.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.20.14\n    \t\t\t Cantwell to FCC: No \u2018toll lanes,\u2019 Preserve Net Neutrality \n    \t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n    \t\t\tCalling for \u201ca strong and open Internet,\u201d Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has warned the Federal Communications Commission not to set up a tiered system in which broadband providers could charge higher prices for access to \u201cfast lanes.\u201d\r\n\u201cWe do not want artificial toll lanes on the innovation economy of the future,\u201d Cantwell said in a Senate speech.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t allow Internet service providers to set up fast lanes for those who can pay, and slow lanes for those who cannot.\u201d\r\nPoliticians haven\u2019t always been up on the technology economy.\u00a0 The late Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, once described the Internet as a \u201cseries of tubes.\u201d\r\nBut Internet access has suddenly emerged as a political issue since Republican mid-term election victories earlier this month.\r\nSen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a rally in front of the WWII Memorial Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013 in Washington as Senate leaders have taken the helm in the search for a deal to end the partial government shutdown and avert a federal default. The memorial has been closed due to the government shutdown. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)\r\nSen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas: \u201dObamacare for the Internet\u201d (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)\r\nPresident Obama, who campaigned twice on the issue, urged the FCC to adopt a policy of \u201cnet neutrality.\u201d\u00a0 Ultraconservative Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, shot back, describing net neutrality as \u201cObamacare for the Internet.\u201d\r\n\u201cWhat happens when government starts regulating something as a public utility?\u00a0 It calcifies everything. It freezes it in place,\u201d Cruz said in a video released earlier this week.\r\nCantwell and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., both veterans of the technology economy \u2014 Cantwell with RealNetworks, DelBene with Microsoft \u2014 make the opposite argument.\u00a0 They have become leading advocates for net neutrality.\r\n\u201cA strong and open Internet is one of the best ways to protect the innovation that supplies millions of American jobs,\u201d said Cantwell.\u00a0 \u201cToday, I\u2019m calling on the FCC to take forceful action that adopts the strongest possible rules to provide maximum protection for consumers and maximum flexibility to promote the Internet economy.\u201d\r\nShe warned that any tiered system would allow Internet Service Providers to cut\u00a0 \u201cbackroom deals to determine what information Americans can access online.\u201d\r\nThe FCC has struggled with the issue.\r\nIts previous broadband rules preventing a \u201cfast lane\u201d were struck down by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.\r\nIn writing new rules, however, the federal regulatory agency has heard from 4 million Americans \u2014 overwhelmingly in favor of net neutrality \u2014 and finds itself with a key decision involving a tech sector that employs 3.9 million Americans.\r\nCantwell pointed out that YouTube began in a San Mateo, Calif., garage, and that Facebook had its start in a Harvard dorm room.\r\n\u201cToday, we want to make sure that the Internet is not under attack by those who would prefer a pay-to-play system,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThe biggest telecom companies are trying to write the rules of the road that would crowd out some of these opportunities for unique entrepreneurs to continue to grow the application economy.\u201d\r\nGiven how \u201cpay-to-play\u201d politics has worked since the Supreme Court\u2019s 2010 Citizens United ruling,\u00a0 the argument should have resonance.\r\nCalling for \u201ca strong and open Internet,\u201d Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has warned the Federal Communications Commission not to set up a tiered system in which broadband providers could charge higher prices for access to \u201cfast lanes.\u201d\r\n\u201cWe do not want artificial toll lanes on the innovation economy of the future,\u201d Cantwell said in a Senate speech.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t allow Internet service providers to set up fast lanes for those who can pay, and slow lanes for those who cannot.\u201d\r\nPoliticians haven\u2019t always been up on the technology economy.\u00a0 The late Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, once described the Internet as a \u201cseries of tubes.\u201d\r\nBut Internet access has suddenly emerged as a political issue since Republican mid-term election victories earlier this month.\r\nSen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a rally in front of the WWII Memorial Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013 in Washington as Senate leaders have taken the helm in the search for a deal to end the partial government shutdown and avert a federal default. The memorial has been closed due to the government shutdown. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)\r\nSen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas: \u201dObamacare for the Internet\u201d (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)\r\nPresident Obama, who campaigned twice on the issue, urged the FCC to adopt a policy of \u201cnet neutrality.\u201d\u00a0 Ultraconservative Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, shot back, describing net neutrality as \u201cObamacare for the Internet.\u201d\r\n\u201cWhat happens when government starts regulating something as a public utility?\u00a0 It calcifies everything. It freezes it in place,\u201d Cruz said in a video released earlier this week.\r\nCantwell and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., both veterans of the technology economy \u2014 Cantwell with RealNetworks, DelBene with Microsoft \u2014 make the opposite argument.\u00a0 They have become leading advocates for net neutrality.\r\n\u201cA strong and open Internet is one of the best ways to protect the innovation that supplies millions of American jobs,\u201d said Cantwell.\u00a0 \u201cToday, I\u2019m calling on the FCC to take forceful action that adopts the strongest possible rules to provide maximum protection for consumers and maximum flexibility to promote the Internet economy.\u201d\r\nShe warned that any tiered system would allow Internet Service Providers to cut\u00a0 \u201cbackroom deals to determine what information Americans can access online.\u201d\r\nThe FCC has struggled with the issue.\r\nIts previous broadband rules preventing a \u201cfast lane\u201d were struck down by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.\r\nIn writing new rules, however, the federal regulatory agency has heard from 4 million Americans \u2014 overwhelmingly in favor of net neutrality \u2014 and finds itself with a key decision involving a tech sector that employs 3.9 million Americans.\r\nCantwell pointed out that YouTube began in a San Mateo, Calif., garage, and that Facebook had its start in a Harvard dorm room.\r\n\u201cToday, we want to make sure that the Internet is not under attack by those who would prefer a pay-to-play system,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThe biggest telecom companies are trying to write the rules of the road that would crowd out some of these opportunities for unique entrepreneurs to continue to grow the application economy.\u201d\r\nGiven how \u201cpay-to-play\u201d politics has worked since the Supreme Court\u2019s 2010 Citizens United ruling,\u00a0 the argument should have resonance.", 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": ["http://www.cantwell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-about-maria?ContentRecord_id=1196b3b8-4bc9-4a8e-800d-f4f44307cd19"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8363090455532074, "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"}