Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) plans to introduce legislation to prevent a “takeover” of the Internet by the United Nations or another government regime.
Speaking Monday at Google’s office in Washington, the possible presidential contender said he will introduce legislation to codify U.S. support of an open Internet as other countries attempt to control its growth.
{mosads}“Since the Web is worldwide — and since it has proven such an effective catalyst for pro-democratic revolution — it has become a battleground that many fight to control,” he said.
Rubio pointed to 42 countries that limit the Internet within their borders and “now wish to take this further by exerting control over the way the Internet is governed and regulated internationally.”
“Many governments are lobbying for regulatory control by the United Nations or a governmental regime,” he said, and “opposing this takeover and preserving Internet freedom must be a top national priority.”
In a wide-ranging speech that touched on a broad array of economic topics, Rubio called for “new policies that encourage bold innovation.”
He vowed to introduce legislation to reallocate federal government spectrum to the airwave-hungry wireless companies, who are looking to appeal to subscribers increasingly relying on their smartphone and other mobile devices.
More broadly, Rubio called for an end to government involvement that impedes innovation and growth.
The U.S. can spend another century leading innovation, “but achieving this will require us to replace the antiquated policies and institutions of the last century with ones built for this new era,” he said.
Rubio called for an overhaul to the tax system that would allow U.S. companies to avoid paying domestic taxes on revenue made and taxed abroad, and to take immediate deductions for investments.
Rubio is working on legislation with Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) that would make those changes.
On energy policy, Rubio called for changes to rules that create “a sluggish administrative certification process” and “a seemingly endless wait while bureaucrats in Washington argue the details.”
The review process for natural gas pipelines should be streamlined, he said.
Rubio said Congress should provide President Obama with fast-track trade authority, which would make it easier to negotiate and approve trade deals. He also backed deals under negotiation with the European Union and a group of Asian and Latin American countries.
“Carefully crafted trade policies could be a boon to tens of thousands of small businesses,” he said.
He also touted a research bill he introduced with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) that would ease collaboration between federal research agencies and the private sector.
Policies like these will aide economic recovery, he said.
“We no longer have the luxury of wasting time on the failed promises of big government or the divisive rhetoric of class warfare. The world around us is changing quickly, and we have waited for far too long to change with it.”