Net neutrality hurts health care and helps adult content, Sen Johnson claims

Source: 
Author: 
Coverage Type: 

Republican Sens March 8 claimed that network neutrality rules are hurting broadband network investment and urged Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to overturn them. Sen Ron Johnson (R-WI) agreed that net neutrality rules harm Internet service provider investment and offered a lengthy analogy to explain why.

Sen Johnson said he wants to cut through the “rhetoric, slogans, and buzzwords,” before saying that enforcing net neutrality rules is like letting too many people use a bridge and ruin people’s lawns. Net neutrality rules, he said, also give adult content the same level of network access as remote medical services. The net neutrality rules passed in 2015 when the FCC was controlled by Democrats prevent fixed and mobile ISPs from blocking or throttling lawful Internet traffic or giving priority to Web services in exchange for payment. Sen Johnson seems to be mostly concerned about an alleged inability of doctors and healthcare organizations to pay for priority over illegal and adult content. Net neutrality protections apply only to lawful Internet content, so the FCC rules do not prevent ISPs from blocking the illegal content that Sen Johnson is worried about.


Net neutrality hurts health care and helps adult content, Sen Johnson claims