Congress strikes back: the FCC and the NLRB

As you may recall, the FCC’s  Christmas present to America was a rule, issued December 23, 2010, that restricts how Internet service providers (like Verizon, or AT&T, or a host of others) manage traffic on their own Internet systems.  The FCC’s rule was “in response” to a decision by the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals that held that the FCC had absolutely no Congressional authority to regulate the Internet.

Not waiting for that mess to “play out”, the House, in the first week of April, voted 240 to 179 (who are those 179) to tell the FCC that it couldn’t to that.  So far, Harry Reid’s (D. Nv.) Senate has done nothing.

Then we had the NLRB’s decision to file a complaint against Boeing because Boeing had the temerity to build a new plant, not in “unionized” Washington State, but in South Carolina, a “right to work state”.  In other words, if you work in South Carolina, unlike Washington State, you can join a union if you want, but, are not required to do so.

This week, Senator Lamar Alexander (R.Tn.) is introducing a bill in the Senate to “rein in” the NLRB’s attempt to hijack business decisions, unless, of course, those decisions are favorable to unions.

This is an administration run amok.  Fortunately, some in Congress are beginning to realize that.