SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- President Donald Trump has become the accepted master of social media. In fact, he has made the bold and unprecedented decision to serve as his own press corps, transferring the outdated platform to Twitter. The job of White House correspondents is to report on the president’s decisions and activities. Trump astutely recognizes that no individual is better equipped to perform that task than the commander-in-chief himself. However, he also understands firsthand the dangers that a free and open Internet have unleashed in this time of American carnage. “The real peril is uncensored access to vast amounts of information and facts, which are killing the economy and thwarting governmental efforts to keep people on the right path,” Kellyanne Conway said. She called Trump’s appointment of Ajit Pai as FCC chairman an essential step toward progress. Pai has already vowed to take a “weed whacker” to the electric communism of net neutrality, ending the free flow of fake news that is destroying the nation and undermining the alternative facts Americans need.

SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- In a devastating ruling Friday for proponents of “net neutrality,” the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a set of rules that pave the way for “paid priority fast lanes,” despite protests and national dissent. The proposal, spearheaded by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, passed by a three-to-two majority within the commission. Opponents of the measure described the decision as alarming “for anyone who treasures a free and open Internet.” Those who support the proposal, such as former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) -- once Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee -- called the idea of equal access and open speech on the Internet an affront to civil liberties and free-market economies, coining the talking point “Electric Communism.”

SAN NARCISO, Calif. -- On April 7, the GOP controlled House of Representatives voted to block the FCC from upholding the free Internet concept commonly called “net neutrality,” which advocates say protects our right to access an open Internet. Senate Republicans have supported their peers in the House by introducing a “resolution of disapproval,” which strips the FCC of its authority to ensure unfettered access to Web sites across the Internet. In response, champions of free speech and consumer choice flooded Congress with angry letters of disapproval. Republicans, however, described the protests as “misguided and uninformed.”

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) -- Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee -- called the idea of equal access and open speech on the Internet an affront to civil liberties and free-market economies, coining the talking point “Electric Communism.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a devastating ruling to proponents of “net neutrality,” the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the “Open Internet” order today, spearheaded by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. According to supporters of the measure, which include fellow Democrats Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn, the rules strive to balance the interests of Internet service providers (ISPs), content companies and consumers. Unfortunately, allowing the Internet to flourish without regulation does not necessarily translate to equal access for end users and content producers, despite the order’s deceptively worded title.