Washington — Internet users and websites across the country have spent an intense week making their voices heard on net neutrality ahead of a planned FCC vote Thursday to rescind it. Three weeks ago, FCC Chairman Pai released his plan to essentially forfeit FCC’s role in protecting consumers and allow big incumbent Internet Service Providers free rein to discriminate and even charge extra fees for accessing particular websites and services.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association has advocated on internet access and competition issues for over two decades and including comments to the FCC and legal briefs supporting the 2015 Open Internet Order, which the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld just last year. The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“These rules invite the big, incumbent ISPs to block, throttle and discriminate against any website they want by throttling their own legal authority that should be used to protect consumers and users. It is baffling that the agency that Congress created to protect consumers’ access to communications would so aggressively abdicate its duty. The open internet, under net neutrality principles, has been the catalyst for strong American economic growth and innovation online that countries around the world seek to emulate. This new approach will harm access to information, communications and economic opportunity. We again urge the FCC to refrain from this ill considered action.”