Because the GOP won’t let the president be great, one of the party’s loudest barkers took a dig at a policy heavily endorsed by Mr. Obama. Republican Senator Ted Cruz compared Net Neutrality regulations to Obamacare in a bid to promote the conservative value of smaller government.
Just after President Obama’s announcement urging the Federal Communications Commission to look at new Net Neutrality regulations on Monday, Cruz took to Twitter to blast the plans despite its potential of growth for all.
“‘Net Neutrality’ is Obamacare for the Internet; the Internet should not operate at the speed of government,” Sen. Cruz tweeted.
To explain, Net Neutrality regulations would make it so that Internet service providers, such as Xfinity Comcast and others, would not be able block or slow down access to websites or online services. The providers will also be barred from charging premiums on “speed lanes” or faster access on the Internet. Additionally, President Obama is also calling for “transparency” between consumers and Internet service providers.
Keeping in line with Republican Party’s common refrain of smaller government interaction, Sen. Cruz’s tweet essentially looks at Net Neutrality as a federal takeover of the Internet. This comparison falls in line with many on the Right thinking Obamacare did the same for the healthcare industry.
Cruz is not new to his criticism of Net Neutrality, stating in times past that the FCC should be barred from enacting regulations. Instead, Sen. Cruz wants Internet regulations to be handled by Congress.
President Obama faces strong opposition and a typically uncompromising GOP-led Congress in his final two years in office. While there may be some deals struck between the Obama administration and Congress, this and several other issues face the possible reality of a bottleneck.
Watch President Barack Obama’s video statement on Net Neutrality below.
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Photo: Gage Skidmore/CC By SA-3.0
