On the recordNovember 9, 2011
I yield up to 7 minutes to the Senator from South Carolina. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina. Mr. DeMINT. I thank the Chair. I thank Senator Hutchison for her efforts here in stopping another regulatory nightmare. I am beginning to think the FCC stands for Fabricating a Crisis Commission because they are trying to create a new regulation for a problem that does not exist. The overriding problem here is, as the government intervenes increasingly into the Internet and the investment in the Internet, that investment is going to dry up as uncertainty is increased. I have seen in my State where private investors have put together the money with companies to put down broadband in rural areas only to find that there are some companies operating with a government grant or some government money to compete with them. Under President Obama, the FCC has become an activist bureaucracy that is inventing a crisis here in order to take control of the Internet. The Internet is one thing in our country that is working vibrantly. It is a showcase of free enterprise. It does not need to be regulated. For years liberals have warned us that, if the government does not take action, the Internet will not be competitive or accessible. The opposite has happened. More people are using the Internet and have access to cutting-edge technology and devices than ever. This is yet another misguided big-government solution in search of a problem.…
