Don’t Fall For Marsha Blackburn’s ‘Open Internet Preservation Act’

Last week , the Republican - dominated Federal Communications Commission and itsVerizon - loving chairwoman Ajit Pairammed through awildly unpopulardecision to repeal Barack Obama - era heart-to-heart internet guidelines , potentially opening the threshold for cyberspace table service providers to commence block or throttlinganyone on the web they wantor score them up for exorbitant fees . With the FCC abrogating most of its own enforcement powers , the only way to stop the decision is Congress — but the Republican solution , Rep. Marsha Blackburn ’s “ Open Internet Preservation Act , ” is just as bad as you ’d expect .

@AjitPaiFCC has done his job , now it ’s up to Congress to do theirs . This bill will ensure there is no block , no throttling . It is my honor to bless this bill- lease ’s get it to@realDonaldTrump ’s desk.pic.twitter.com/jOf0fvFwcd

— Sen. Marsha Blackburn ( @MarshaBlackburn)December 19 , 2017

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

Some media organizations have ran flattering headlines on the bill , like theWashington Post , which wrote that “ Day after the FCC repealed its net neutrality rule , the GOP has a bill to replace them . ” But it can not be overstated that Blackburn ’s bill does not do that . Instead , it pop the question afew bare - bones protectionsin exchange for the meat of the FCC ’s decision to remain in essence .

Thetext of the OIPAsays it would amend the Communications Act to “ prohibit block of true cognitive content , app , services , and non - harmful gimmick , [ and ] prohibit impairment or degradation of lawful Internet traffic . ” So majuscule , Verizon literally ca n’t flip a electrical switch and turn off Netflix , or ( much more likely ) advisedly trammel it . That ’s a slight improvement on the regulatory surroundings in the aftermath of the FCC ’s decision to vacate Title II common aircraft carrier regulations , the lack of which now reserve ISPs to get away with passably much anything .

Yet Blackburn ’s bill does n’t prohibit ISPs from charging content creators like websites or cyclosis services for paid prioritization services . Because everyone will be fighting over a finite amount of web capacity , that ’s tantamount to offering those that do n’t give up shittier service anyhow . It also reclassifies broadband Internet as an “ information service , ” which would keep the FCC from ever regulating it as a Title II carrier wave in the future . Furthermore , the bill also foreclose states and localities from implementing their own net neutrality convention and , asArs Technica noted , would prevent the restoration of numerous consumer protections to broadband client .

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While ISPs would opt having the cookies jolt emptied out wholesale for them Pai - style , Blackburn ’s note would trench a regulative environs they still would have stamp out for before Pai ’s appointment .

In astatement sent to Gizmodo , Internet Association President & CEO Michael Beckerman argue that Blackburn ’s bill was better than nothing , but did not constitute a real result :

The marriage offer circulated today does not fit the criteria for canonic net disinterest protection — including bright - channel rules and a forbidding on paid prioritization — a Peace Garden State will not bring home the bacon consumers the protections they need to have insure memory access to the entire internet . final neutrality in name only is not enough to protect our economy or the jillion of Americans that require and rely on these formula . genuine net disinterest legislation should be bipartisan and have input from other stakeholder , including the user residential district , public involvement mathematical group , and industry .

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Fight for the Future ’s Campaigns Director Evan Greerwas more forthright , say the note was n’t fooling anyone :

This is not material net neutrality lawmaking . It ’s a poorly disguised slap in the face to Internet user from across the political spectrum . Blackburnian warbler ’s bank note would explicitly allow Internet supplier to need novel fees from little business and Internet exploiter , carve up the web into fast lanes and slow lanes .

While Democrats in Congress are trying toforce a voteon a full return of the net neutrality regulation , there ’s legion hurdles in the way of life of them doing so . last disinterest brass , deal groups and18 state attorneys generalare all potential to fight back the FCC in tourist court as well .

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