Representatives propose bill limiting president’s ability to shutdown the Internet in the USA

According to a press release by the US House of Representatives, Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) and Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) have jointly proposed a bipartisan bill titled the ‘Preventing Unwarranted Communications Shutdowns Act’. The bill seeks to ‘limit presidential powers to control or shut down communications networks, including the Internet’. The bill would also add strong congressional oversight of emergency authorities governed by the Communications Act. Specifically, the bill aims to limit the use of Section 706 of the Communications Act to only when there is an ‘imminent and specific threat to human life or national security’. According to the press release, this would prevent the use of Section 706 when there is only a general ‘threat’ such as a major protest.