FCC Net Neutrality Repeal to Set Up Long Fight

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to vote along party lines to repeal the 2015 Open Internet Order, which provides a strong legal foundation for enforceable net neutrality rules. The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has long supported rules that ensure an open internet, and today’s vote will dissolve these protections without an effective plan to replace them. However, the repeal of these protections is only one step in a longer fight to come.

“We have no plans to compromise or surrender the fundamental digital rights of Americans,” said CDT Policy Counsel Ferras Vinh. “While the battle will move to the courts, Americans who support an open internet can still encourage their congressional representatives to overturn the FCC’s decision.”

“By repealing these protections, the FCC has chosen to ignore both overwhelming public sentiment and established legal precedent,” added Vinh. “Chairman Pai has given internet service providers an explicit license to block, slow, or levy tolls on content. ISPs will now have even greater power to shape the online experiences of internet users, at the expense of consumers and small companies. This is the unfortunate conclusion to a poorly managed process characterized by widespread fraud in the comment process and a lack of transparency from the Commission.”