Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Rep. Fred Upton (R-SD) sent a letter to the president on Monday, requesting his cooperation in developing permanent protection policies for an open Internet while working to prevent protracted litigation through strong bipartisan legislation.
Thune is chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Upton chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
“Our respective committees in the House and Senate recently began an open and honest effort to achieve a bipartisan legislative solution to protect Internet users, promote innovation and encourage robust broadband investment,” the letter opens. “Such a law, enacted with your signature, would avoid the legal uncertainty created by the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) nearly decade-long endeavor to determine its own authority to regulate broadband Internet services.”
The letter called on Barack Obama’s promise during his State of the Union Address to acknowledge Republican ideas and cooperate with the party as it begins to push legislation through Congress.
“We accept your invitation to work together to achieve positive and enduring results for all Americans who rely on the Internet in our increasingly digital economy,” ” Thune and Upton wrote. “Finding an agreement on enforceable authority for the FCC will have a profound, positive impact on Internet users, edge innovators and infrastructure investment – all without the legal uncertainty that exists absent clear statutory guidance.”