Biden FCC pick refuses to support broadband regulation

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Biden FCC pick refuses to support broadband regulation

WASHINGTON Reuters President Joe Biden's pick for a seat on the Federal Communications Commission told a U.S. Senate Committee on Wednesday that he does not support government regulation of broadband rates.

Former FCC chairman Gigi Sohn, a former senior aide to Tom Wheeler who served as FCC chairman under former President Barack Obama, said it would take at least a year for the commission to reinstate landmark neutrality rules that were repealed in 2017 under President Donald Trump.

Sohn said he would not support FCC regulation of broadband rates when asked by Senator Marsha Blackburn if she would support FCC regulation of broadband rates. That was an easy one. The FCC removed net neutrality rules in 2015, banning internet service providers from blocking or throttling traffic, or offering paid fast lanes.

She said it was important for the FCC to step in without the help of Congress.

I am very concerned that broadband, an essential service, has not been looked after for the past four years, according to Sohn, citing consumer and public safety protections.

Sohn said she would like Congress to address net neutrality in order to prevent a replay of the back- and- forth between administrations.

She said the FCC acted in the absence of movement from Congress, because she was tired of the ping pong game.

FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a letter on Monday that she does not plan to regulate broadband rates directly or indirectly.

She noted that the 2015 net neutrality rules don't allow for future use of prescriptive industry-wide rate regulation. She said she supported this approach in the past and would do so again in the future. Biden waited more than nine months to make nominations for the FCC, which has not been able to address key issues because it currently has one vacancy and is split 2 -- 2 between Democrats and Republicans.