On the recordNovember 9, 2011
I rise in support of this resolution to disapprove the FCC's open Internet order. The FCC wants to regulate the Internet. Why? There must be some sort of market failure that needs correcting or some Internet issue that needs fixing or out-of-control provider that needs regulating, right? That is not the case at all. We are talking about one of the most successful sectors of our economy--one that has flourished with limited government regulation and continued to create jobs in the midst of a very deep recession and economic downturn. Since the Internet was privatized in the midnineties, it has prospered. The industry's growth and impact on our economy, as well as its development of new, life-changing technologies and applications, is staggering. Twenty years ago, the Internet as we know it did not exist. Today over 2 billion people use it. Ten years ago, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Skype did not even exist, and hundreds of millions of people are now users. Five years ago, mobile applications didn't exist. At the end of last year, there were over half a million apps, applications, and well over 10 billion will be downloaded this year. Hopefully, they will soon be downloading mine. We came up with one yesterday for our office. Two years ago, the iPad didn't exist. Now, over 25 million have been sold. All these advancements expanded broadband access and encouraged private investment.…
