Rep. Doyle Shakes CRA Stick at Net Reg Rollback

Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), ranking member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee Communications Subcommittee, says he will propose using the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the FCC's rollback of net neutrality rules if FCC chairman Ajit Pai does not stand down.

That is the legislative maneuver Republicans used to invalidate a number of Obama-era regs earlier this year.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) Tuesday (Dec. 12) called on Congress to step in as well to resolve the net neutrality reg debate, but that was not what he was talking about.

“The answer to monopolies has always been regulation and competition, and as much as some of the FCC Commissioners don’t want to acknowledge it, Net Neutrality and the regulation of ISPs under Title II are essential for providing real competition in the Broadband marketplace," said Doyle.

Doyle said he and dozens of other legislators would be sending a letter Wednesday urging the chairman not to repeal the regs, but that if the FCC does do so Dec. 14, as planned, he plans to introduce the CRA-based legislation.

It is essentially a shot across the bow since the Republicans controlling Congress are fans of the reg rollback. Republicans did use the CRA to reverse the FCC's vote, under Pai's Democratic predecessor, on a broadband privacy framework.

Related: Spectrum Hearing Reveals Raw Wounds From Broadcast Privacy Rule Rollback

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.