"Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) has promised to fight GOP efforts to dismantle net-neutrality regulations that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed Tuesday.
"I will not stand by and allow the Republicans to use the Congressional Review Act to strike down this step," Rush said in an interview Wednesday with The Hill, alluding to pledges from GOP members to repeal the rules through new legislation.
Rush, a contender to become the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee telecom subcommittee, said the conversation about net-neutrality rules should revolve around improving the regulations rather than repealing them.
"The order is a step in the right direction," Rush said. He added that the "wobbly" parts of the rules can still be fixed, possibly with help from Congress.
In particular, Rush is concerned the rules could overlook the needs of minorities because they are weaker on wireless connections than on wired ones. Minorities frequently get online using mobile broadband.
"I think those things can be remedied," he said. "We need to remedy, not repeal."
Calling the new regulations "balanced," Rush cautioned industry against challenging the order in court.
He also expressed concern about the concentration of ownership in the wireless industry and how that could affect minority consumers. He said he wants to discuss with the FCC the possibility of applying net-neutrality regulations to spectrum allocated through auctions.
Net-neutrality regulations, formalized by the FCC on Tuesday, aim to fulfill an Obama campaign promise to prevent phone and cable companies from exerting too much control over Internet traffic."
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-v...ht-back-against-gop-attacks-on-net-neutrality
