House Net Neutrality Hearing Exposes Lawmakers' Persistent Technical Ignorance
A recent House hearing on net neutrality features lawmakers recycling outdated arguments and ignoring established facts. Instead of pursuing bipartisan legislation, representatives choose grandstanding over genuine understanding of internet regulations.
A House Energy and Commerce committee hearing on net neutrality reveals a startling lack of basic understanding among elected officials. Despite two decades of ongoing debate, members of Congress recite musty arguments and grandstand as if they just learned about the internet this week. Chairman Frank Pallone expresses clear hostility toward the current FCC and its repeal of the 2015 net neutrality rules, setting a combative tone for the session.
The witnesses at the hearing demonstrate earnest and well-spoken perspectives from both sides of the issue, but the representatives fail to match their thoughtfulness. Lawmakers repeatedly rely on discredited talking points instead of using the time to craft potential bipartisan legislation. They universally agree that Congress needs to act, yet they spend their energy badgering experts rather than exploring constructive solutions.
The most frequent and flawed argument during the hearing centers on the age of Title II, the 1934 Communications Act authority that underpins net neutrality rules. Representatives repeatedly ask why the country applies rules from the telegraph era to modern broadband, ignoring the fact that lawmakers update these statutes regularly. Representative Billy Long even wastes time with a gimmick involving photos of former House Speakers to emphasize this irrelevant point.