Cruz mocks pixelated Obama

Sen. Ted Cruz is trying to use the president’s call for net neutrality rules against him.

The Texas Republican on Friday released a 30-second video featuring an Obama sound-alike speaking over a pixilated version of the president making a mock call for tough net neutrality rules.

“Today I am happy to announce that the FCC [Federal Communications Commission] has taken over the Internet and made it a public utility,” the voice actor says, mimicking Obama. “This is the same government that brought you the online success of HealthCare.gov and we know that we can continue to do great things for you online,” it continues, before sputtering out into static and a link to a page outlining Cruz’s opposition to the new rules.

Later this month, the FCC will vote to enact tough net neutrality regulations that take the controversial step of reclassifying broadband Internet service so that to can be treated under some of the same utility-style rules that the agency uses for phone service.

Many critics of the rules have seen the move as capitulation to Obama, who made a public call for a similar path in a YouTube video just days after the midterm elections in November, which appeared to have inspired Cruz’s parody.

Cruz has been one of the biggest congressional critics of the FCC’s plan, which he has called “ObamaCare for the Internet.”

At a conference put on by the conservative Lincoln Labs earlier this week, Cruz again made parallels between healthcare reform and regulation of Internet service providers.

“Do not accept the promise of Washington politicians who are telling all of us ‘If you like your Internet, you can keep your Internet,’” he said. “That promise cannot be trusted.”