US House of Representatives

Rep Eric Swalwell (D-CA), a member of the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, introduced the Journalist Protection Act to make a federal crime of certain attacks on those reporting the news.

Rep Mike Doyle (D-PA) announced the names of the Members of Congress who have asked to cosponsor his legislation to reject the Federal Communications Commission’s order to end the Open Internet and eliminate Net Neutrality. “We’ve made good progress so far in getting Members to sign on as original cosponsors of our bill to restore Net Neutrality, and I will continue to seek additional cosponsors in the weeks ahead,” Congressman Doyle said in releasing the list of names. “There’s overwhelming public support for preserving Net Neutrality, so it’s no surprise that there’s strong support in Con

We write to express our strong opposition to the Federal Communications Commission's proposal to abdicate its responsibility under law to uphold Title II of the Communications Act. Voting to undo Title Ii protection for broadband Internet will leave consumers vulnerable to exploitation by ISPs, hinder innovation and free expression, and allow for discrimination against marginalized communities and activists. For these reasons, we urge the commission to not vote for this proposed rule on December 14, 2017. 

Reps Jerry McNerney (D-CA) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI) sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai expressing their strong disappointment that the Chairman has failed to provide repeatedly requested documentation related to the alleged May 7 distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on the FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System. 

Reps Gregory Meeks (D-NY), House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), and House Commerce Committee Ranking MemberFrank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) led six other Democrats in sending a letter to the Government Accountability Office requesting that it investigate and issue a report that uncovers the extent that outside groups were using false identities during the Federal Communications Commission’s recent network neutrality rulemaking process.  The letter also requests that GAO examine whether this shady practice extends to other agency rulemaking processes.

Reps Keith Ellison (D-MN), David Cicilline (D-RI), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Rick Nolan (D-MN), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced the Merger Retrospective Act to curb the harmful effects of corporate monopolization on working people.

A bipartisan coalition of 71 Reps sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to include investments in rural broadband connectivity in his forthcoming infrastructure proposal. The lawmakers highlighted the importance of broadband connectivity in attracting and retaining businesses, communication between family and friends, timely responses to an emergency response, agricultural efficiency, and access to educational materials. The letter was led by Reps Peter Welch (D-VT), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Dave Loebsack (D-IA), and Bob Latta (R-OH). The bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus sent a similar letter.

The Reps wrote, “In the 21st Century, high speed internet access is no longer a luxury amenity, but rather an essential service for homes and businesses in this interconnected world. Unfortunately, rural Americans in our districts lack sufficient broadband infrastructure to take advantage of this explosion of technology and economic possibility…. As you consider the parameters of your infrastructure proposal to Congress, we write to urge you to include investments that will bring the benefits of broadband connectivity to rural America.”

Congressman Steve Stockman (R-TX) asked the National Security Agency to turn over all its metadata on the email accounts of former Internal Revenue Service Exempt Organizations division director Lois Lerner for the period between January 2009 and April 2011.

The request comes just hours after the Internal Revenue Service claimed it “lost” all of Lerner’s emails to or from Lerner and outside agencies or groups during that period, in which she allegedly coordinated with the White House, House Democrats and political groups to harass and deny tax-exempt status to groups critical of the President.

The IRS blames a “computer glitch” for erasing the emails which could have implicated Agency employees in illegal activity.

“I have asked NSA Director Rogers to send me all metadata his agency has collected on Lois Lerner’s email accounts for the period which the House sought records,” said Rep Stockman. “The metadata will establish who Lerner contacted and when, which helps investigators determine the extent of illegal activity by the IRS.”

Rep Bob Latta (R-OH) introduced legislation (HR 4752) to ensure the Internet remains open and free from government interference by limiting the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to regulate broadband under Title II of the Communications Act.

The legislation comes after the FCC released a proposal to reclassify broadband Internet access under Title II as a telecommunications service rather than an information service.

“In light of the FCC initiating yet another attempt to regulate the Internet, upending long-standing precedent and imposing monopoly-era telephone rules and obligations on the 21st Century broadband marketplace, Congress must take action to put an end to this misguided regulatory proposal,” said Rep Latta. “The Internet has remained open and continues to be a powerful engine fueling private enterprise, economic growth and innovation absent government interference and obstruction. My legislation will provide all participants in the Internet ecosystem the certainty they need to continue investing in broadband networks and services that have been fundamental for job creation, productivity and consumer choice.”