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Republicans ask tech and telecom CEOs to weigh in on net neutrality
House Republicans are hoping to solve the ongoing net neutrality issue by inviting leading tech and telecom chief executives to testify in front of Congress in September.
The tech execs will include Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet Inc. CEO Larry Page, Amazon.com Inc. CEO Jeff Bezos and Netflix Inc. CEO Reed Hastings. Executives from Internet service providers Comcast Corp., Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc. will also be there to testify.
Since the Federal Communications Commission announced plans to scrap the net neutrality rules put in place in 2015, there has been an outcry from tech companies, the public and even television celebrities such as John Oliver. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he would take a “weed-whacker” to those rules earlier this year, a stance that has provoked a steady stream of criticism from those that support a “free and open Internet.” Both Google and Facebook have expressed outright criticism toward the proposed changes, while Netflix’s stance has been somewhat conflicted.
When many of the world’s biggest tech companies got together to form a Day of Action, Google wrote in a blog post that the free Internet had become an “unrivaled source of choice, competition, innovation, free expression, and opportunity. And it should stay that.” Writing on Facebook, Zuckerberg said, “We strongly support those rules. We’re also open to working with members of Congress and anyone else on laws to protect net neutrality.”
And so it seems Zuckerberg and the other execs will have their chance to defend their stance before the U.S. Congress and perhaps settle what has become a schism between tech companies and telecom giants.
In a letter to the tech executives, Greg Walden, Republican chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, wrote, “Your company has played a significant part in the public conversation to date, and your input would be invaluable.” Walden added that it’s time to end the “ping-pong game” regarding Internet regulations and allow Congress to legislate the rules once all sides of the debate have been taken into consideration.
The hearing, titled “Ground rules for the Internet ecosystem,” will take place on Sept. 7.
Image: Disty via Flickr
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