The House’s Last Minute Net Neutrality Legislation Had ZERO Chance of Passage

This preordained doomed attempt should NOT serve as an impetus for unilateral FCC action

Editor’s Note: This first appeared in BigGovernment.com.

Last week gave us another piece of last minute, hurry-up and pass-it legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives – Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman’s bill to regulate the Internet, codify Net Neutrality (NN) and define the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)’s role therein.

As the recently departed White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel once said, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Or a manufactured one – like the four-plus year slow burn “dire” need for Net Neutrality implementation. Without which the Internet has exploded into a nearly limitless cornucopia of free speech, free markets and free people.

We’ve gone this long – and this incredibly well – without Net Neutrality. We certainly don’t need the FCC ramming it through in an after-the-election November meeting designed from all appearances to thwart and avoid the scrutiny of the American people.

In actuality, this NN bill had ZERO chance of passing. You can’t introduce it out of Committee the Tuesday before the Friday Congress adjourns – and expect it to become law. Anyone who follows these things knows this is folly.

It did accomplish something. Forced again to make a decision inside of six seconds on transcendentally important legislation, the Republicans rightly said No. Ranking Committee member Joe Barton decided they would not, again, be forced aboard another screaming legislative locomotive.

And a gentle reminder – the Democrats are the majority and have the votes, without a single Republican signing on. If they were serious about pushing ahead with the bill, they most certainly could have done so.

After all, ramming through legislation in uni-partisan fashion hasn’t yet bothered the Democrats a whit. ObamaCare, anyone? Alleged economic “stimulus?” Etc, etc, etc. Lather, rinse, repeat.

And Democrat-only legislation is infinitely better than a unilateral Internet power grab by the FCC, for which the author of this bill is now calling.

In response to the Republicans’ absurd decision to want to actually read and discuss the legislation, the pro-Net Neutrality forces in unison screeched:

“We tried a legislative fix – but the intractable Republicans wouldn’t sign on, so now the FCC MUST unilaterally act to reclassify the Internet.”

In unison?

Republicans scuttle US net neutrality bill-Waxman - Reuters

Waxman’s last-minute Net neutrality bill hits a GOP wall - Los Angeles Times

Net Neutrality Bill Stalls Without GOP Support - National Journal

Draft Net Neutrality Bill Axed by GOP - Wireless Week

Net Neutrality Bill Dead After Waxman Fails to Get GOP Support‎ - PC World

Net neutrality bill blocked by Republicans - ZDNet UK

After GOP Kills Net Neutrality Bill, Focus Shifts Back to FCC - Daily Finance

Waxman says net neutrality bill dead, FCC should assert regulatory authority - Washington Post

Waxman Drops Net Neutrality Bill, Calls on FCC to Reclassify Broadband - Firedoglake

Waxman Scraps Net Neutrality Bill, Calls for FCC Action - IT Business Edge