Arkansas Lawmakers Lambast FCC’s Net Neutrality Vote

Arkansas’ congressional delegation reacted angrily to a controversial net neutrality decision by the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday, ending the week with more stinging criticism of the Obama administration’s move to regulate the Internet as a utility.

At their highly anticipated meeting on Thursday, the five-member regulatory panel ruled in a 3-2 vote along party lines to approve net neutrality rules “to make sure we control free and open access to the Internet.” The vote puts an end to a rulemaking period prompted by a federal appeals court ruling last January, which tossed out previous regulations dating from 2010.

Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, said the FCC’s decision represented an “outdated approach” that would curb technology advances and lead to costly litigation that would stifle job creation in the future.

“Once again Washington bureaucrats think the solution to a problem is additional regulations and once again they are wrong,” Boozman said. “The growth that we have witnessed in e-commerce and mobile technology has come about as a result of innovative answers to market demands, not heavy-handed government mandates.”

Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Hot Springs, echoed Boozman’s comments, saying the FCC’s decision “mimic(ked) those of the president,” and would hurt efforts to keep the Internet “free and open.”

“The rules approved by the (FCC) are yet another overreach of the Obama administration, passing heavy-handed regulation with no input from Congress. These rules will result in a nation less free than it was before this mind-boggling decision,” Westerman said. “Ask yourself – what is the problem with the Internet that requires a fix by an overreaching federal government?”

KEYSTONE, EPA
The decision by the FCC ends a frustrating week for both state and federal lawmakers in Arkansas, batting “zero for three” against the Obama administration.

Earlier in the week, the state’s congressional delegation derided the Obama administration for vetoing a Senate bill to support building the Keystone pipeline across the Midwest.

“President Obama’s veto of a bipartisan bill approving the Keystone XL Pipeline is regrettable,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. “But what’s more concerning is his continued tendency to put his liberal allies ahead of America’s best interests. Arkansans and all Americans deserve better.”

In addition, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge went to the nation’s capital this week to testify before a congressional committee on Thursday that regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate carbon emissions would be an “economic disaster” for Arkansas.

Despite Rutledge’s and Arkansas’ recent move to join other states in a federal lawsuit against the President’s so-called “Clean Power Plan,” the EPA has signaled that it would continue to aggressively move forward with its plans to cut existing power-plant carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 30% by 2030.

Following testimony by Rutledge and other critics of federal Clean Air standards before a House Oversight Subcommittee, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy issued a statement saying that the federal environmental regulators would continue to safeguard the nation’s air quality.

“Fulfilling the promise of the Clean Air Act has always been EPA’s responsibility,” McCarthy said. “Our health protections have endured because they’re engineered to evolve, so that’s why we’re using the latest science to update air quality standards – to fulfill the law’s promise, and defend each and every person’s right to clean air.”

Currently, Arkansas environmental and utility regulators are studying the potential impact in conjunction with various stakeholders with an interest in the new rule. Final rules on the EPA’s plan are expected to be completed this summer, after which Arkansas must submit a state or regional plan to comply with the rules that could shutter the state’s fleet of coal-fired power plants.