Chairman of the FCC defends rules of net neutrality

Government regulators U.S. should depend on the antitrust laws to protect customers broadband rather than rules of neutrality of the network as the Federal Communications Commission adopted in December, Republicans members of a Subcommittee of the House of representatives of the United Statessaid Thursday.

The FCC exceeded its powers of Congress when it prohibited providers of broadband services to selectively block Web content and applications, said representative Bob Goodlatte, Chairman of the Subcommittee of the Committee on the judiciary of the House Internet.

Regulatory authority of the FCC is limited to the authority conferred upon the Agency by Congress, said Goodlatte, a Republican from Virginia. "The FCC acts unconstitutional when it exceeds his power limited," he said. "Congress has never given the FCC to impose this type of regulation of top down Internet information services."

The net neutrality regulation could slow investment in broadband networks frowned FCC of broadband for all residents of the United States, said Goodlatte. "You grow an industry by regulating it", he said.

Goodlatte and other Republicans Subcommittee suggested that the antitrust laws and existing unfair commercial practices are enough to protect broadband customers. An approach focused on antitrust, anti-competitive blockade by suppliers, "be better protect an Internet competitive, innovative and open," said Goodlatte.

But antitrust enforcement can take years to resolve, said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. "Application of antitrust legislation, is expensive to continue, takes lot of time and kicks in only after the evil is done", he said. "Especially for the startups in an area of rapids such as the Internet, is not a practical solution."

The net neutrality rules were a compromise supported by many venture capital companies, Genachowski said. "Some people think the framework that we have adopted is not enough not others think it goes too far", he said. "I think that gets it right.".

The 1996 Telecommunications Act empowers the FCC to adopt rules that apply to providers of broadband services, he added.

The House under Republican control voted in April to invalidate the net neutrality rules, but the President Barack Obama threatened veto the law, if it passes by the Senate under democratic control.

Goodlatte and representative Ben Quayle, a Republican from Arizona, asked why net neutrality rules are necessary in a competitive industry of Genachowski broadband.

About 70 percent of U.S. residents have only one or two suppliers of wireline broadband, Genachowski said. "I agree with your point of view that more it has less competition, it is necessary for the participation of the Government,"he says."

Some critics of the rules of the net neutrality made the debate as being between great Web, like Google content providers and major suppliers of broad band as AT & T, said representative Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California. Many providers of broadband voiced support for the rules, with the still "inexplicable" fight to the Congress, said.

"I don't worry Google." they have a lot of money, "said Lofgren. "I am concerned about starting which may be crushed or killed in the cradle... If we do not have an Internet free and open."