By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Alabama Republican National Committeeman Paul Reynolds has been a vocal opponent expansion of federal regulations that we have witnessed under the administration of President Barack H. Obama (D). Reynolds recently emailed his concerns to conservatives around the State of Alabama
RNC member Reynolds wrote, “More than ever, I believe private enterprise and the principles of the free market will soon cease to exist in this country. Right before our eyes, Barack Obama is employing thousands of unelected federal bureaucrats to implement a methodical government takeover of the economy. At the end of last year, the Obama Administration handed down more than 1200 new regulations, some of which from the EPA are the most expensive to taxpayers in our nation’s history. Undeterred, they promptly handed down another 206 regulations earlier this month. All of these laws were enacted without the approval of our elected Congress. This Soviet-style central planning is the exact approach to the economy taken by the now-defunct nations of Eastern Europe during much of the last century.”
Reynolds continued, “Tomorrow will mark another pivotal point in the Obama central planning effort. That is when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), at the request of Barack Obama, will announce its rules to regulate the internet as a public utility. These rules, issued under the misnomer of “net neutrality,” will allow the government to regulate and prioritize content, rather than internet users and the free market. What could possibly go wrong when the federal government controls the internet? These rules will surely have the effect of discouraging investment and lead to taxes on emails, video chats, data usage and video streaming. Rand Paul described the internet as “the single greatest catalyst in history for individual liberty and free markets,” and now Obama and the FCC want to restrict both.”
Reynolds said, “This is why I recently authored resolutions passed at the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP) dealing with this issue. I did so because we must create greater awareness of this quiet form of tyranny being employed by the federal government, if we wish to end it.”
The Democrat Majority on the FCC is set to enact a new 232 page regulatory act on Thursday, February 26.
Reynolds is asking that Alabama Republican Senators cosponsor the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvement Act of 2015 (H.R. 527) passed by the House, a bill which requires all Federal Regulatory Agencies provide documentation of how new proposed regulations effect small businesses. Additionally he wants the Alabama US House delegation to use the Legislative Review Act to immediately call all FCC decisions regarding Net Neutrality into a full Congressional review.
FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai who has been a vocal opponent of net neutrality said on Tuesday, “Net Neutrality is “a solution that won’t work to a problem that doesn’t exist.” Pai warned that regulating the internet like a utility company will threaten the kind of innovation we’ve taken for granted over the past 20 years. Paid said, “Do you trust the federal government to make the Internet ecosystem more vibrant than it is today? Can you think of any regulated utility like the electric company or water company that is as innovative as the Internet?”
Conservative Talk Radio host Rush Limbaugh said on Wednesday, February 25, “What is going to happen Thursday is a direct result of Obama hijacking the effort — essentially, let me just put it to you this way. Do you own a website, do you operate a website? If Obama gets his way, you’re gonna have to get a license for it just like radio and TV stations get licenses, because the Internet is gonna be subject to regulation under Title II like broadcast facilities are. Cable is not, but over the air broadcast — But they can’t wait to regulate the Internet, folks, they just can’t wait.” “The way net neutrality is being sold to Millennials is — and I read these tech bloggers, these little guys. I read ’em, they hate their cable providers. They hate their web service providers, Internet service, they hate ’em. Just like you were made to hate Big Oil and just like you were made to hate Big Tobacco. Just like you’ve been oriented to hate Big Anything, Big Retail, big box retail like Walmart. The Democrats’ enemies list now includes all of the telecommunications companies and the Internet service providers.”
