Sec. 2. Findings
350 words·~2 min read·
/bill/113/hr/889/ih/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: A single, open, global Internet is a vital tool for facilitating the free and secure flow of information and products without regard to distances or national boundaries. The goal of a single, open, global Internet is best supported by policies that— encourage utilization on a global basis of technology standards set by international standards-setting organizations, including industry-led and other voluntary bodies, and selected by the market; respect the security of information, privacy, and speech of Internet users; promote investment in Internet-related innovation; refrain from compelling Internet service providers and other intermediaries to restrict the free flow of information on the Internet; and allow trade in Internet-related goods, services, information, and content.
Certain governments and international bodies are adopting or considering policies contrary to the goal of a free, open Internet, including— mandating unique technology standards favoring domestic producers as a condition of market access or pursuing related policies regarding standard-setting that are discriminatory and subvert the open, global nature of the Internet; sponsoring or tolerating the use of Internet-related tools to gain unauthorized access to public-sector and private-sector networks in the United States to disrupt their operation; blocking, filtering, or otherwise restricting Internet communications in a manner that discriminates against Internet-based services and content originating in other countries; monitoring Internet use and communications in a manner that restricts individual privacy and freedom; and imposing market access requirements or liabilities that discriminate against or otherwise impede Internet-related goods, services and content from other countries.
Such actions threaten the interests of the United States by— facilitating attempts by foreign governments to restrict or disrupt the free flow of information on the Internet; promoting national Internets in conflict with the underlying rationale and architecture of the Internet as originally envisioned and constructed, thereby compromising the Internet’s full functionality and promise; harming United States workers and businesses, undermining a strong United States industrial base, and putting foreign competitors at an advantage; and putting at risk the utility of the Internet as a tool of open communication, assembly, and commerce, and the individuals who seek to use it for such purposes.