Congress tells FCC reclassification is above their paygrade
Seventy-four House Democrats and thirty-seven Senate Republicans wrote letters (here, here) to the FCC today that essentially told the FCC that their announced plans to deem broadband a common carrier service are over-reaching and out-of-bounds.
- In Washington-speak, the letters communicated that the FCC is trying to decide an issue that is "above their paygrade" to decide.
In turn, these letters appear to have prompted the Chairmen of the FCC's House and Senate authorizing committees and subcommittees to announce today that they will hold meetings with key stakeholders to discuss updating the Communications Act legislatively -- another strong message to the FCC that Congress makes communications policy, not unelected commissioners at the FCC.
The clear political message to the FCC here is that they have wrongly put the cart before the horse, and that they must seek a "solid bi-partisan political foundation" for U.S. broadband policy... before they can achieve their desired "solid legal foundation" for the FCC.