Boehner: Keep the Internet Free of New Washington Regulation

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin urging him to keep the Internet free of new Washington regulation. Saying the Internet has flourished because engineers, not regulators, have solved its problems, Rep Boehner writes, "Your heavy handed attempts to inject the FCC into the middle of that process threaten to hijack the evolution of the Internet to everyone's detriment. It will also deter the very broadband investment we need for the Internet to continue growing to meet the increasing demands being placed upon it." Rep Boehner also questions the FCC authority to enforce violations of its Internet policy principles. Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn responded saying, "It is a shame that the harm Comcast has done to the Internet has not been appreciated by Leader Boehner. Rather than criticizing FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, Leader Boehner should praise him for putting a stop to a practice that technical experts have said is clearly outside the bounds of accepted Internet practice, while at the same time the FCC is acting to protect consumers."