Executive Calendar

Floor Speech

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Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I join my colleagues, Senators Markey, Wyden, and Hassan, on the floor to add my name to a resolution to overturn the FCC's decision, which is ill-advised and very wrong as it relates to growing an innovation economy.

The internet is one of our most important national economic drivers. In 2017, our internet economy produced more than $1 trillion in output and created nearly 200,000 new jobs. In my State, Washington, it has provided a platform for new innovation across many platforms and applications. As a result, 13 percent of our economy is based on innovation and technology. This economic activity supports 250,000 jobs. To say that the FCC's stymieing of the internet is acceptable is fighting words for the State of Washington.

From increasing access to healthcare, such as telemedicine, to making sure we find more affordable healthcare, to reforestation after natural disasters--the internet is providing great tools and solutions for all of these things.

Last week, several companies from my State joined me in expressing opposition to the FCC and calling on Congress to pass this congressional resolution sponsored by my colleague Senator Markey and all of the Democrats. These companies know this resolution is important.

Redfin, an internet company based in Seattle, is trying to address new ways of doing real estate business. It is a full-service real estate online tool that has helped save $400 million in how we process home sales.

Another company, Deja vu Security, spoke about how, if you really want to be great on attacking cyber intrusion, you need to know when it happens, not after the fact or after a 20-minute delay because you are not paying the highest rates.

Seattle-based DroneSeed uses drone technology to help reforest lands after natural disasters.

All of those companies joined me in saying that they wanted to see the FCC's actions overturned and that they wanted this resolution to pass. Why? Because they know this is a big part of our economy.

Tech innovators got to where they are by having an open internet and a level playing field. This really is about cable versus the internet. It is about big cable companies that want to charge more to consumers and businesses versus startups and individuals who want access to these new applications.

Just three big cable companies control access to the internet for 70 percent of Americans, and over the past decade, the prices that Americans pay these kinds of companies have risen almost twice as fast as inflation. What the FCC is doing is giving cable companies the ability to raise your rates even more. That is what this debate is all about.

I hope our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will at least take a chance and look at this and understand that by giving all of that power to three big cable companies, they are going to charge more for internet access; that charging more or slowing down service for people who won't pay will have an undue impact on consumers and the economy. That is why we are out here fighting, because so much of the internet economy is based on an open internet, so much of a rural economy that is helping us grow jobs in rural parts of the United States or even just our ag economy that depends so much on current internet information as decisions are made. Are our farmers going to be charged more because they aren't willing to pay the cable rate that you wanted?

I join my colleagues in saying let's pass this congressional resolution that basically says there has to be a free and open internet. Let's get back to the innovation and the creation of more jobs, not artificially slowing down the internet and giving a big win to cable companies.

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