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Hi,
It’s finally happening.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is voting tomorrow to begin the process of restoring net neutrality protections — six years after net neutrality was repealed under Donald Trump’s FCC chair and former Verizon lawyer Ajit Pai.1
This is a huge step in our fight to save the free and open internet, but Comcast, Verizon, and other ISPs have proven that they will use every dirty trick in the book to block, weaken, or delay FCC action on net neutrality. To mobilize the grassroots support needed to defeat Big Cable and restore net neutrality, we need supporters like you to chip in.
Net neutrality is the principle that says all traffic on the internet must be treated the same and prevents Big Cable from creating internet slow lanes for everyday people.
In 2015, the FCC set strong net neutrality rules when it passed the Open Internet Order, which correctly classified broadband access under Title II of the Communications Act.
But Trump's FCC Chair Ajit Pai wasted no time in trashing net neutrality standards and repealed this order in 2017 — even though the vast majority of Americans support net neutrality.2
We’ve seen the consequences of rolling back net neutrality and Title II protections in the years since.
Verizon throttled traffic for firefighters during massive wildfires.3 Sprint has slowed data speeds on Skype to favor its own video calling service.4 Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T were caught throttling YouTube and Netflix.5 Comcast has imposed internet speed limits for customers who don't pay extra fees.6
Since President Biden took office, Comcast and their Big Cable lobbyist friends have spared no expense ensuring gridlock at the FCC, including a disgusting smear campaign that took down President Biden’s first FCC nominee and created more than two years of delay.7
Now that the FCC has a full commission, we’re closer than ever before to seeing rules restored to protect a free and open net. But we also know the lengths Big Cable will go to pad their bottom line and stop net neutrality.
That’s why we need a massive show of public support for a free and open internet.
With gratitude for all that you do,
Tihi and the team at Demand Progress Action
Sources:
1. CNN, "FCC to reintroduce rules protecting net neutrality," September 26, 2023.
2. Office of the New York State Attorney General, "Attorney General James Secures $615,000 from Companies that Supplied Fake Comments to Influence FCC’s Repeal of Net Neutrality Rules," May 10, 2023.
3. NPR, "Verizon Throttled Firefighters' Data As Mendocino Wildfire Raged, Fire Chief Says," August 22, 2018.
4. Bloomberg, "Sprint Is Throttling Microsoft’s Skype Service, Study Finds," November 8, 2018.
5. Bloomberg, "YouTube, Netflix Videos Found to Be Slowed by Wireless Carriers," September 4, 2018.
6. Public Knowledge, "Broadband Providers Are Quietly Taking Advantage of an Internet Without Net Neutrality Protections," January 19, 2019.
7. NBC News, "Smear campaign targets nominee who would be FCC’s first openly gay commissioner," February 3, 2023.
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