Rep Barton Rips Waxman’s Net Neutrality Solution

Appearing on C-SPAN's Communicators, Rep Joe Barton (R-TX) had a succinct reaction to the proposal of Rep Henry Waxman (D-CA) that suggests the Federal Communications Commission use a hybrid Sec. 706/Title II approach to regulation when it restores network neutrality rules: "He's wrong."

He called Title II "old law" from the 1930s that some are trying to apply to 21st century networks. Rep Barton says the best governor of allocation and usage issues is a free market with appropriate oversight by the federal government and, "in some cases," state and local governments. He said for Rep Waxman or the FCC to try and use the hundred-year-old common carrier law to regulate the Internet was "flat out wrong." Rep Barton said Congress could override the FCC if it decides to go the Title II route, but suggested that would be a high hill to climb. "With President Obama and a Democratic majority in the Senate, it would be difficult to do, but not impossible," he said.