Skip to main content

Democrats and Republicans unite to grill FCC chair on net neutrality

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler was the target of bipartisan condemnation in Congress over his agency’s Net neutrality proposals. The FCC, which recently approved a new proposal that may pave the way for “paid prioritization” of certain types of Internet traffic, was criticized for raising the possibility of an Internet divided between the haves and have-nots. During an oversight hearing, members of the Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee on communications and technology took turns condemning the proposed rules’ most controversial aspect.  

Please read our Net Neutrality Timeline. It explains the issue in more detail.

Recommended Videos

“I just want to say to you that I am opposed to any form of paid prioritization. Paid prioritization divides the Internet into ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ and it will entrench the big companies at the expense of start-ups,” said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Ca).

“Paid prioritization represents a fundamental departure from the Internet as we know it,” added Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Ca).

While the proposed rules ask the public to comment on whether to ban paid prioritization, Wheeler wouldn’t commit to blocking it outright. Eshoo attempted to get a straight answer from Wheeler on the provision. However, the Chairman dodged the question by reciting his previous statement.

“Paid prioritization represents a fundamental departure from the Internet as we know it,” added Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Ca).

Eshoo asked: “As a policy, not as a legal question, do you think paid prioritization should be blocked outright? Wheeler answered: “So I have said that I don’t believe there ought to be have and have nots.”

The exchange ended with Eshoo repeating the question emphatically and Wheeler mentioning their 2010 court defeat against Verizon. “The court told us to look at this on a case-by-case basis. We have asked the question in the ruling as to whether we should look at it generically and say it’s all out,” he said.

While Democrats expressed dismay over the inequality the new rules may put in place, Republicans were more specific in their opposition to the proposals. Congressional Republicans criticized the FCC for bringing up the ISPs as a public utility under Title II of the Communications Act. 

“The modern communications landscape bears no resemblance to the world Title II was meant to regulate and application of Title II to the Internet is, at best, a poor fit. Worse still, the practical consequences of reclassification are to give the bureaucrats at the FCC the authority to second-guess business decisions and to regulate every possible aspect of the Internet,” said Rep. Greg Walden (R-Or) in a prepared statement.

“Attempting to reclassify it would be harmful to consumers, businesses and the future of the Internet as we know it,” said Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mi). 

The proposed rules have far-reaching effects. With large mergers like AT&T’s $48.5 billion purchase of DirecTV playing out as the FCC decides on the proposal, lawmakers wanted assurances that public interest would be a top priority for the agency. 

“These large mergers before us, they may be different to each other, but can you commit to us here that the FCC will carefully scrutinize these deals with a focus towards public interest?” said Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Ca) 

“Without hesitation and with complete affirmation,” Wheeler replied.

The FCC has posted Wheeler’s testimony on its website . The agency has opened the proposed rules for public comment for four months. If  you want to contribute, you can add a comment at www.fcc.gov/comments.

Christian Brazil Bautista
Christian Brazil Bautista is an experienced journalist who has been writing about technology and music for the past decade…
T-Mobile home internet plans have changed, here’s what you should know
how to unlock your iphone use with another carrier t mobile hq sign feat 720x720

*Updated 6/12/2025 to include new plans, promotions and fiber internet service details

While Verizon was the first to deploy 5G home internet, users complained about their network being small at the time with intermittent connections. T-Mobile, while trailing Verizon with their 5G home internet service, at least launched with "nationwide" service that reached a lot more homes on the initial launch.

Read more
These three iOS 26 beta features are my favorite so far
The Liquid Design lock screen on the iOS 26 developer beta 1 running on the iPhone 16 Pro

For fans of the Apple ecosystem, it’s been an incredible week. Apple’s annual WWDC 2025 keynote revealed a whole new Liquid Glass design that’s unified across all its platforms. Also unified across all platforms is the numbering scheme, with iOS 26 designed to represent the year of release… plus one. 

The new platform doesn’t deliver one of the key things I asked for — multitasking, which is available on iPadOS 26 — but it does bring several new features that make the iPhone far more usable. 

Read more
Anker recalls a million power banks over fire risk — here’s what to do
Anker's PowerCore 10000 power bank.

Anker is recalling more than a million of its PowerCore 10000 power banks due to a risk of overheating that could lead to fire and burns.

The tech company has received 19 reports of fires and explosions linked to the power bank, which contains lithium-ion batteries. Two of the reports relate to minor burn injuries and required medical attention, while a further 11 reports cite property damage totaling more than $60,000, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Read more