The National Cable & Telecommunications Association has met the enemy, and it is Title II.
Following the Federal Communications Commission's release of the 400-page (with addenda and statements) Open Internet order, which was voted Feb. 26 along straight party lines, the NCTA in a statement likened it to "regulatory regime change" for the Internet, with “serious collateral consequences for consumers."
The trade group said the FCC move will slow broadband deployment and adoption, which is the opposite of the current regulatory action plan goal under chairman Tom Wheeler.
NCTA president Michael Powell was FCC chairman when the agency ruled that Internet service providers were not subject to Title II open-access mandates, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court.
After the FCC release on Thursday (March 12), the NCTA echoed calls by other Title II critics for Congress to step in.
“As we have stated repeatedly, our companies are committed to offering consumers an open Internet experience, and we fully support the creation of enforceable open Internet rules," the NCTA said. "But we do not advance our nation’s ambitions by regulating the Internet with monopoly-era tools. We remain hopeful that Congress will seize this important opportunity to enact smart legislation that codifies the FCC’s authority to protect an open Internet while avoiding the collateral harms that Title II will unleash.”
