Obama’s New Year’s Resolutions: Power Grab the Internet — and Your Wallet

Note: This first appeared in the Daily Caller.

It’s the New Year, the pre-dawn of President Barack Obama’s second term – in which he is free to be more “flexible,” and is resolved to engage in even more illegal, unilateral power grabs.

Long on the Obama-Leftist power grab hit list has been the Internet. Pre-Obama, the ‘Net was just about regulation-free – and thus became a free speech, free market Xanadu.

To paraphrase Apple, the President has a grab for that. Many, in fact. He spent much of his first-term non-golf-time illegally seizing large swaths of previously unregulated Internet space. And looming large in early 2013 are new, major illegal moves.

One is building on an earlier grab. The President’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 2010 illegally imposed Network Neutrality. Several plaintiffs sued to undo it - early this year the D.C. Circuit Court will rule. No matter that outcome, the Obama Administration will likely overreach further still.

Should the Court rightly dump Net Neutrality, the Administration may absurdly begin regulating the Web as if it were landline telephone network – you know, that bastion of innovation lo these last seventy-plus years.

FCC Boss…May Push for Title II ISP Reclassification if Rules Overtu...

Meaning – again, without any legal authority whatsoever – President Obama will move the Internet from Title I to Title II….Title II opens up the Pandora’s Box of uber-regulation of the Internet. But wait – there’s more.

Under Title II, President Obama can also begin to tax the Internet – just as the Feds tax landlines, just as they already tax the living daylights out of your wireless Internet - checked your cell phone bill lately? It’s 17.4% – and climbing, an $8 billion total take in 2010 – and hurtling ever upward.

And if the Court wrongly rules in favor of the Administration?

FCC’s Pai Warns that Net Neutrality is Only the ‘First Step’

Ajit Pai, a Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission, said on Thursday that a court victory for net-neutrality rules would embolden liberal members of his agency to adopt more Internet regulations.

“With a court victory under the Commission’s belt, I believe that the net neutrality order would be the first step, not the last, on our regulatory path.”

With President Obama, it’s “Heads I win – tails you lose.”

And how’s the President doing on Cyber Security?

Obama Likely to Issue Executive Order on Cybersecurity as Early as ...

GOP members in both chambers of Congress fear the cyber order will pile new regulations onto companies that operate critical infrastructure, such as water plants, financial systems and the electric grid. They argue that boosting the country’s cyber defenses requires a permanent legislative solution, not an executive order….

Not to mention that the Constitution requires legislation duly passed by both Congressional houses and signed by the Executive – not yet another Obama fiat.

All of this illegal, authoritarian Obama action. Only on the ‘Net. And it only gets us through about February – just barely past his second Inauguration.

It’s going to be a very long four years.

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Comment by Kate Bowe on January 11, 2013 at 9:22am: Thank you Mr. Motley.
This is a bit more than I can digest right now. I am going to watch your "Network Neutrality" film over again until I understand it in totality. It isn't as simple as gun control is. :)

Comment by Debrajoe Smith-Beatty on January 10, 2013 at 7:42pm: Maybe gruesome monster O fon't last 4 years. in office.

Comment by Frank Chance Chenoweth on January 10, 2013 at 12:11pm: Sorry, Patricia. There isn't a Republican anywhere with one one hundred thousandth of the stones needed to impeach Odummer! Some of them are still hurting from impeaching Bubba in '98 . . . ! And even if Congress impeached him, the Senate would find Obozo innocent . . . ! --FRANK NITTY

"Oppan gangnam style!"

Comment by Patricia Castellano on January 10, 2013 at 11:35am: This commie must be impeached!

Comment by David S on January 10, 2013 at 10:59am: Pat McMahon, Unfortunately, you may be right. It concerns me too. God help us all.

Comment by Pat McMahon on January 10, 2013 at 10:50am: I have an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that it will be much longer than 4 years as the plan is for him to be dictator for life. God help America

Comment by Max Bleiweiss on January 10, 2013 at 10:33am: If what Obama is doing is illegal and unconstitutional why does anyone comply with it?

Comment by Bill Wierzbinski on January 10, 2013 at 10:10am: I'm not, David.

Comment by Terri Donohue on January 10, 2013 at 10:09am: Will obama do this by bypassing Congress and move with the UN to do these things? Check out ICLEI....

Comment by David S on January 10, 2013 at 10:05am: Bill Wierzbinski, Don't hold your breath for that to happen.