Congressman Tom Reed criticized House Democrats efforts Tuesday to vote on a bill which would be catastrophic for people living in rural areas seeking internet access and allow government control of the internet.

"Democrats are leading America down a slippery slope toward complete and total government takeover of the internet," Reed said. "Their bill decreases internet access for people in our community by forcing our rural providers, who can least afford it, to comply with overly burdensome regulations. The bill would also block future innovation, such as 5g, by requiring Washington bureaucrats to approve each new technology."

Reed highlighted how government control of the internet lays the groundwork for eventually taxing the internet under the Communications Act of 1934.

Reed cosponsored H.R. 1096 the Promoting Internet Freedom and Innovation Act of 2019 which:

• Promotes smart regulations which incentive internet innovation and investment.
• Ensures the internet is never blocked or throttled.
• Bans the paid prioritization of traffic by internet providers.

"Net neutrality plays a vital role in today's digital age by promoting non-blocking Internet access for consumers," said Brian Wagner, President, Empire Access. "Additional regulation will only create unnecessary barriers and limit future broadband expansion. Today, Internet Service Providers are already tasked with enforcing digital copyright laws and responding to violations which becomes extremely onerous."

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