States Fight to Preserve Net Neutrality
Since last month 22 states and the District of Columbia have filed a lawsuit seeking to block the FCC's repeal of net neutrality regulations, which impede Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from throttling and charging paid prioritization of web traffic and internet services. The suit was filed in the US District Court of Appeals in Washington and was cosigned by attorneys general from CA, CT, DE, HI, IL, IA, KY, ME, MD, MA, MN, MS, NM, NC, NJ, OR, PA, RI, VT, VA, WA and DC.
“An open internet – and the free exchange of ideas it allows – is critical to our democratic process,” said NY State Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, in an annoucement about the suit. “The repeal of net neutrality would turn internet service providers into gatekeepers – allowing them to put profits over consumers while controlling what we see, what we do, and what we say online. This would be a disaster for New York consumers and businesses, and for everyone who cares about a free and open internet....”
State lawmakers from Montana and New York are also fighting back against the net neutrality repeal by signing executive orders that require internet providers to observe net neutrality or risk the loss of large state contracts. State legislatures in Illinois and North Carolina are considering similar actions. Within the last week the California State Senate approved a new bill, proposed by Sen. Kevin de León, that will prevent ISPs from blocking and throttling content.
Share this post with your friends and write to Congress NOW to save net neutrality! The Senate has received an official net neutrality notice from the FCC, and Congress only has 60 days to overrule it with the Congressional Review Act (CRA). It must then pass in the House but for now we can start by contacting our state representatives!