Marsha Blackburn

Another Bill to Block Net Neutrality

by Elizabeth Jacobson on October 28, 2009

in Tech & Telecom

Net Neutrality’s opponents are fighting back. Last week it was John McCain’s “Internet Freedom Act,” and yesterday, Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a house version of the bill that would prohibit the FCC from imposing any regulations whatsoever on the internet or internet service providers. From her press release:

“The internet is the last truly open public marketplace. Its openness is the key to its efficiency and success. Not all public spaces need to be regulated spaces. Indeed, federal regulation has a long history of making the market less efficient.”

Rep. Blackburn’s choice to use word “open” is a little confusing, given the meaning of the term in the net neut debate. In this context, “open” should probably be taken to mean “unregulated” or “free of government.” But other than that, I couldn’t have said it better myself. An open (non-discriminating) internet architecture may or may not be the best model. Either way, it should be consumers and the network providers making that decision, not unelected government officials. The FCC needs to back off and let the internet continue to evolve free of regulatory constraints.

LibertyWeek 59: The New March on Washington

by Richard Morrison on September 9, 2009

in CEI Projects, Features, Podcast, Zeitgeist

Host Richard Morrison welcomes guest co-hosts Michelle Minton and Lee Doren to Episode 59 of the LibertyWeek podcast. This week we take a detour from the usual format and focus on the upcoming 9/12 March on Washington, where thousands of Americans from across the country will converge on Capitol Hill to protest record levels of government spending and borrowing. The demonstration is about defending our liberty and about restoring our Constitution by reducing the size and scope of the federal government.