WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, issued the following statement regarding the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) regulations on the open Internet, which take effect today:

“Although the Administration’s heavy-handed Internet regulations are now in effect, I believe there is a real opportunity for Congress to find bipartisan consensus on this issue in order to protect innovation and investment. Preserving a free and open Internet for consumers should be the ultimate goal.”

Wicker has consistently opposed the agency’s plan to regulate the Internet and believes FCC Chairman Wheeler “acquiesced to pressure from the Administration.”

“The FCC’s move to impose utility-style regulation on Internet networks could ultimately threaten the online experience that Americans enjoy and rely on every day,” Wicker added.