Unable to get support for even a watered-down version of net neutrality, Henry Waxman throws in the towel entirely. This is probably good news, since it allows the FCC to attempt some rulemaking on net neutrality, which many analysts believe they have the right to do. I’d rather see the FCC take another crack at net neutrality, since whatever Congress passed would probably be the last word for decades.
Yesterday, I was pretty critical of the Democrats in Congress based on a report saying that Waxman’s bill was essentially the Google/Verizon net neutrality proposal translated into legislation. Today, it appears that his proposal (which was never made public in detail) was a little better than Googlezon’s, since some public interest groups supported it. Even so, the reason the bill died was a combination of Republican intransigence combined with Waxman’s inability to get enough Democrats to sign on to his proposal.
The Post’s take on Waxman’s decision contained this headscratcher:
He said legislation could still be introduced in this Congress. But analysts say that after the mid-term elections, it will be harder to pass a law to regulate Internet service providers in a Republican-dominated Congress.
The bald assumption that Republicans will control Congress is either a nod to their control of the Senate agenda via the filibuster, or a reflection of a “Dewey Defeats Truman” mentality in the DC press corpse.
SP
If this were going the other way (stating as a fact which party will control after the elections) Beck would be scribbling on his chalkboard about how the fix is in.
Kristine
It’s been CW for months that a “Republican tsunami” would flood the House and possibly the Senate. Everything I’ve read on the progressive side involves how to stop the bleeding.
Which is why anything less than a dual-chamber wipeout could be seen as a victory for our side, but that’s beside the point. Big gains by the Rs are all I’ve been reading about since the spring. Whether there’s sufficient data behind the claims to justify them? When has that ever mattered?
ornery curmudgeon
MrMix, you missed the Big Lie in “it will be harder to pass a law to regulate Internet service providers in a Republican-dominated Congress.”
The actual lie is that evul Liebruls are imposing regulation, when in fact net neutrality is keeping the internet open, ie, in keeping the status quo which “conservatives” are supposed to support.
Once ostensibly Leftist (oops, stumbled over another Talking Point) well Progressive-ish, commentators are mentally using corporate talking points … well the game is probably over.
Too bad, this one is probably going to hurt. The only charts we have about this territory we are sailing into are histories of monopolistic depredations trending rapidly toward tyranny, but we are doing it anyway. Yes, humanity, again. AGAIN.
Linda Featheringill
Hmmm. One of the results of Republican intransigence may be a stronger executive branch, as fiat becomes the only way to things done.
I wonder if this would fall under “unintended consequences”?
That would be a shame, really. I have nothing against the members of the FCC. But it would have been nice to have these questions handled by our elected representatives.
Mike Toreno
It says “Republican-dominated,” not “Republican-controlled.” That doesn’t mean they’re saying Republicans will have a majority. As we’ve seen, saying Congress will be Republican-dominated could imply anything from about 1/3 Republicans on up.
RSR
dominated isn’t controlled; I concur that congress currently, and perhaps even more so after the mid-terms, is republican ‘dominated’
jwb
@Kristine: The whole point is to make it so: whether or not it’s in fact “true,” repeating it ad nauseum, continuing to tell Democratic voters that they lack enthusiasm, will certainly have the effect of killing enthusiasm among any portion that is listening. The great unknown is what percentage of the voting population is paying attention to the noise machine. My sense is that an ever increasing portion of the population is simply checking out of the mainstream media. What’s not clear is whether that population is also planning on checking out of voting. If they show up the conventional wisdom will be very wrong in November, if they don’t the media will have accomplished the mission the overlords set for it.
Kristine
FWIW, now there’s rumblings that Dems might possibly hang onto the House after all.
I’m been hearing tiny, hopeful meeps for the last couple of weeks. Maybe some folks are just starting to pay attention now.
Phoenix Woman
Waxman apparently realized that as much as he’d love telco backing, destroying Net Neutrality for the wireless portion of the spectrum — which is where all the action is moving — was not going to please the people who’d voted for the Ds in 2008. With disappointments and betrayals on everything from gay rights to rolling back the Bush tax cuts to torture — disappointments that have caused major Democratic donors like George Soros to sit out this election — the Democrats simply can’t afford to commit one more “disappointment”.