While some Republicans wrote to Ajit Pai to stop his war on free and open internet, over a 100 have supported the Commissioner's plan to repeal net neutrality protections. 107 Republican members of the Congress have written a letter to the Federal Communications Commission supporting Pai's plan ahead of today's vote.
"We write today in support of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) plan to restore Internet freedom by reversing the prior Commission’s decision to regulate broadband Internet service under Title II of the Communications Act, a statutory scheme created for the monopoly telephone carriers of a bygone era," the letter says (PDF).
"This proposal is a major step forward in the effort to clear the way for the substantial investment necessary to advance our Internet architecture for the next generation and close the digital divide. When its effects are fully realized, more Americans than ever will experience the benefits of telemedicine, distance learning, streaming video, and future innovations made possible by broadband.”
Amid controversy of the Commissioner ignoring American public's comments and due process, the vote is scheduled to go as planned (you can watch the livestream here). If you are wondering why would these lawmakers just decide to sell your right to an open internet, note that the Congress accepted over $100 million in donations from the telecom giants - the members of the Congress, not just the Republicans.
Well, $100 million seems to be a fair amount to make elected lawmakers say whatever the telecommunications industry wants. Folks over at Motherboard have compiled a list of those elected lawmakers who have accepted donations from the industry and have written the above letter to the FCC.
Here's how much it took for elected officials to sell you out to the telecom industry with the net neutrality repeal
- Mo Brooks, Alabama, $26,000
- Ron Estes, Kansas, $13,807
- Thomas Massie, Kentucky, $25,000
- Ralph Norman, South Carolina, $15,050
- John Moolenaar, Michigan, $25,000
- Neal Dunn, Florida, $18,500
- Mike Bishop, Michigan, $68,250
- Alex Mooney, West Virginia, $17,750
- Glenn “GT” Thompson, Pennsylvania, $70,500
- Blaine Luetkemeyer, Missouri, $105,000
- Paul Gosar, Arizona, $12,250
- Richard W. Allen, Georgia, $24,250
- Kevin Cramer, North Dakota, $168,500
- Greg Walden, Oregon, $1,605,986
- Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee, $600,999
- Billy Long, Missouri, $221,500
- Gregg Harper, Mississippi, $245,200
- Brett Guthrie, Kentucky, $398,500
- Bill Johnson, Ohio, $196,666
- Jeff Duncan, South Carolina, $41,830
- Earl “Buddy” Carter, Georgia, $39,250
- Susan Brooks, Indiana, $168,500
- Gus Bilirakis, Florida, $234,400
- Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma, $141,750
- Mimi Walters, California, $161,500
- Joe Barton, Texas, $1,262,757
- Bill Flores, Texas, $127,500
- Pete Olson, Texas, $220,500
- Morgan Griffith, Virginia, $198,900
- Tim Walberg, Michigan, $131,850
- Fred Upton, Michigan, $1,590,125
- Joe Wilson, South Carolina, $104,750
- Martha McSally, Arizona, $84,936
- Blake Farenthold, Texas, $64,250
- Steve Womack, Arkansas, $104,750
- Tom Marino, Pennsylvania, $130,700
- Louie Gohmert, Texas, $85,055
- Walter Jones, North Carolina, $72,800
- Leonard Lance, New Jersey, $290,550
- Steve Chabot, Ohio, $332,083
- Bob Goodlatte, Virginia, $815,099
- Andy Biggs, Arizona, $19,500
- Mark Walker, North Carolina, $35,750
- Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin, $21,200
- Ken Buck, Colorado, $79,350
- Larry Bucshon, Indiana, $71,750
- Chuck Fleischmann, Tennessee, $42,00
- David Rouzer, North Carolina, $34,300
- Paul Mitchell, Michigan, $18,000
- Hal Rogers, Kentucky, $360,450
- Doug Collins, Georgia, $103,600
- Ralph Abraham, Louisiana, $27,300
- Mark Meadows, North Carolina, $14,500
- Michael McCaul, Texas, $216,500
- Jeb Hensarling, Texas, $270,198
- Mike Simpson, Idaho, $125,200
- Tom Emmer, Minnesota, $28,500
- Randy Weber, Texas, $13,750
- Rob Woodall, Georgia, $60,250
- Ted Budd, North Carolina, $15,500
- Ken Calvert, California, $219,212
- Diane Black, Tennessee, $104,750
- Virginia Foxx, North Carolina, $115,700
- Sam Johnson, Texas, $219,785
- James Comer, Kentucky, $22,750
- Trey Gowdy, South Carolina, $83,250
- Lamar Smith, Texas, $810,462
- Steven A King, Iowa, $210,810
- George Holding, North Carolina, $97,750
- Rob Wittman, Virginia, $57,250
- John Lee Ratcliffe, Texas, $53,950
- Jason Lewis, Minnesota, $221,174
- Jim Banks, Indiana, $16,303
- Bill Huizenga, Michigan, $34,000
- Bill Shuster, Pennsylvania, $202,500
- Steven Russell, Oklahoma, $23,500
- Adrian Smith, Nebraska, $165,834
- Jody B Hice, Georgia, $21,000
- Richard Hudson, North Carolina, $136,750
- Douglas L Lamborn, Colorado, $110,543
- Chris Collins, New York, $151,060
- Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, Washington, $673,530
- Brad Wenstrup, Ohio, $33,750
- Andy Barr, Kentucky, $51,100
While the focus right now is on the Republicans for supporting the FCC's unethical repeal of net neutrality protections, remember that the telecom industry has been paying millions of dollars to lawmakers, regardless of their party (head over to The Verge to see lifetime contributions from the ISPs to sitting members of Congress between 1989 and 2017). After all, they wouldn't want those making decisions to approve bills that aren't in the favor of these giant corporations once a government is over.
This is exactly why even after a Democratic president was elected, it had taken over 6 years of activism and public outcry before the Obama administration finally approved the net neutrality rules. Those who call this a partisan issue are mistaken because money has no party and once this repeal goes forward, don't hold your breath believing that the Congress or a future Democratic government would make it right. It would probably take another decade of consumer rights being trashed before something like net neutrality rules are approved again.
