Republican lawmakers warn against Internet reclassification

Reuters
U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler testifies before a House Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee hearing on oversight of the FCC on Capitol Hill in Washington May 20, 2014. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers on Wednesday urged the Federal Communications Commission against any plan to regulate the Internet more like public utilities. In a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, more than three dozen House and Senate Republicans said that changes to Internet regulations proposed this week by U.S. President Barack Obama were "beyond the scope of the FCC's authority and would defy the plain reading of the statute." (Reporting by Ros Krasny; Editing by Susan Heavey)