Today, the Progressive Policy Institute released the results of a poll conducted by Hart Research Associates, a highly regarded, Democratic polling company, summarized as follows: “Americans Skeptical that FCC Regulation of the Internet Will Be Helpful; Favor More Disclosure.”

“This poll debunks the FCC’s claims that there is a groundswell of support for public utility regulation,” said Berin Szoka, President of TechFreedom. “74% of Americans readily admit they’re not ‘familiar’ with the term ‘Net Neutrality’. Beyond a small base of engaged activists, ‘net neutrality’ is simply one of the trendy platitudes that have come to drive American politics. In attempting to rebrand public utility regulation under Title II as ‘net neutrality’ the FCC has manipulated popular confusion about this issue to pull the greatest bait-and-switch in the history of communications policy. Why the deception? Because a majority of Americans is against imposing public utility regulation on the Internet — by a 21-point margin.”

“A whopping 73% of respondents demand ‘greater disclosure’ from the FCC before it imposes any new Internet regulations,” concluded Szoka, noting that FCC Commissioners Ajit Pai and Mike O’Rielly and Congressional Republicans have asked the FCC to make the draft available before the FCC’s February 26 vote. “Publishing the draft FCC order before it’s voted on would be a start, but the real answer is for Congress, not the FCC, to finally resolve the decade-long fight over net neutrality. That means providing the FCC clear but narrow authority to police core concerns about online competition and free expression. Only Congress can do that without opening the door to public utility regulation, broadband taxes, and years of litigation. Bipartisan compromise is possible — just not at the FCC.”

Szoka can be reached for comment at media@techfreedom.org. See more of TechFreedom’s work on net neutrality and Title II, including:

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