BOSTON—Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to gut Obama-era net neutrality protections. The vote happened amid controversy, as dozens of elected officials called on the Commission to delay its vote in light of a recent study that found millions of fake comments on net neutrality were submitted. Despite being painted as a partisan issue, maintaining net neutrality rules has immense bipartisan support, with 83 percent of U.S. residents supporting it. Revoking net neutrality regulations opens the door for internet providers to force people to pay for access and could throttle or block smaller websites who can’t pay additional fees.
See below for Corporate Accountability Deputy Director: Campaigns Gigi Kellett’s statement:
“The Federal Communications Commission’s decision to revoke net neutrality directly threatens our right to information, putting our access to the online universe into the hands of four profit-driven corporations — Verizon, Comcast, AT&T and Spectrum. Now, internet giants have the go-ahead to bottleneck access for people who don’t have the means to pay — and fast-track it for those that do. This privatization scheme will distort and censor information. The end of net neutrality will disproportionately curb the ability of communities of color, low-income communities, the disability community and others misrepresented by mainstream corporate platforms to be heard and to share and access information that should be free and available to all.
This abhorrent decision is a power-grab by corporations with far-reaching implications for censorship and our democracy. Members of Congress should act today to reverse this destructive decision.”
