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[ [link removed] ]Free Press
Friend,
No single tech policy scares large telecom companies and unites the public more than Net Neutrality — the basic principle that the internet should be a level playing field for all. There’s a sound legal framework to back this up: Title II of the Communications Act, which gives the FCC the authority it needs to hold powerful companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon accountable.
High-speed internet is not a luxury but an essential utility:[1] People need to be able to go online to access education, employment, health-care services, emergency alerts, voting information and so much more. If you believe that someone should stop ISPs from exploiting internet users, you believe the FCC needs to restore its Title II authority. Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel now has the votes[2] — and a recently announced plan[3] — to make that happen.
Broadband companies’ lawyers and lobbyists are willing to tell all manner of lies to prevent the FCC from restoring the popular open-internet rules that the Trump administration dismantled in 2017. We’ll tell you the truth: Restoring Title II oversight would enable the FCC to protect Net Neutrality — and to track service outages, rein in ISP monopolies and make broadband more affordable and accessible.
So let’s bust some myths … again:
1. MYTH - “Title II is heavy-handed internet regulation.”
REALITY - Title II authority is a regulation of ISPs, not the internet itself. If there are rules for the online road, they must protect the rights of users and not the profit margins of massive — and massively unpopular — telecom companies.
2. MYTH - “Title II rules are a solution in search of a problem.”
REALITY - ISPs claim they’d never throttle content they don’t like or prioritize content that they do … but that’s exactly what they’ve done when violating Net Neutrality[4] at home and abroad. The problem is real.
3. MYTH - “The FCC should be focusing on ‘real problems’ like broadband deployment and accessibility.”
REALITY - The largest obstacles to broadband deployment and accessibility are the ISPs themselves. This was clear during the COVID-19 crisis,[5] California’s 2018 wildfires[5] and other disasters. Title II classification supports FCC efforts to ensure that we have resilient networks.
4. MYTH - “The Obama FCC’s Open Internet Order hurt innovation.”
REALITY - According to Free Press research,[7] the Obama-era decision worked as intended, benefiting internet users, ISPs and the countless businesses that distribute services over the internet. Just listen to ISP executives themselves:[8] Title II was good for business.
5. MYTH - “Net Neutrality is a hyper-partisan issue.”
REALITY - Internet users want choices, privacy protections, and a free and open internet. These needs are practical, not political — millions of people across the political spectrum from all 50 states have called on the FCC to enforce Title II oversight, breaking all prior records for public participation in an agency rulemaking.
6. MYTH - “Reinstating Title II is pointless because it won’t hold up in court.”
REALITY - The FCC’s clear authority to reinstate Title II classification has survived judicial review on multiple occasions, including a 2005 Supreme Court decision, a 2016 U.S. Court of Appeals decision by the D.C. Circuit[9] and a 2022 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.[10]
7. MYTH - “It’s been six years since the Trump FCC axed Net Neutrality and nothing bad has happened.”
REALITY - When Trump FCC Chairman Ajit Pai abandoned Title II oversight, dozens of state lawmakers[11] and more than a hundred mayors[12] rushed to enact local Net Neutrality protections.[13] While this patchwork line of defense has restrained the ISPs from carrying out previously stated plans[14] to throttle the connection of popular websites that don’t pay extra, a national rule is needed to protect everyone.
And there you have it. ISPs’ desperate lies don’t hold up to the slightest bit of scrutiny, and Free Press is committed to combating this disinformation every step of the way.
With national Title II protections back in place, internet users will be able to log on knowing that their broadband provider won’t violate their online rights without being held to account. And that’s the truth.
Help Free Press make true Net Neutrality a reality with a donation today.
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Thanks so much for your support,
Timothy Karr
Senior Director of Strategy and Communications
Free Press / Free Press Action
freepress.net
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1. “The FCC's New Net Neutrality Fight Is About More Than Net Neutrality,” Free Press, Sept. 26, 2023
2. “FCC Chairwoman to Start Process of Restoring the FCC's Authority to Protect the Open Internet and Safeguard Internet Users,” Free Press, Sept. 26, 2023
3. “Safeguarding and Securing the Open Internet,” Federal Communications Commission, Sept. 28, 2023
4. “Net Neutrality Violations: A Brief History,” Free Press, July 9, 2021
5. “Read the Heartbreaking Complaints Americans Sent the FCC After Their Internet Was Shut Off,” The Daily Dot, June 5, 2020
6. “Verizon Throttled Fire Department’s “Unlimited” Data During Calif. Wildfire,” Ars Technica, Aug. 21, 2018
7. “How the Internet Access and Online Video Markets Are Thriving in the Title II Era,” Free Press, May 2017
8. “Why Must the FCC Insult Everyone's Intelligence by Misrepresenting Broadband Investment?” Techdirt, Dec. 14, 2017
9. “Free Press: Court Win Gives FCC the Power to Protect Net Neutrality,” Free Press, June 14, 2016
10. “U.S. Court of Appeals Denies ISPs' Attempt to Block California’s Landmark Net Neutrality Law,” Free Press, Jan. 28, 2022
11. “Net Neutrality State Actions Tracker,” National Regulatory Research Institute, Oct. 1, 2018
12. “More Mayors Pledge to Champion Net Neutrality,” Free Press, December 21, 2019
13. “Net Neutrality Politics Is Local,” Free Press, February 14, 2018
14. “The Origins of the Net Neutrality Debate,” MIT Technology Review, July 8, 2006
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