The fight to save net neutrality rules is on! The repeal of Obama-Era net neutrality regulations has set off a series of lawsuits. Attorneys General from 22 states, led by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, have filed a lawsuit claiming that the FCC, “improperly and unlawfully includes sweeping preemption of state and local laws.”
“An open internet – and the free exchange of ideas it allows – is critical to our democratic process,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “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.”
Other states that are participating in the lawsuit include California, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Oregon, as well as the District of Columbia. According to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the decision to roll back net neutrality rules will harm consumers. According to Mr. Becerra, who likened Internet access to utilities like water and electricity, “every consumer has a right to access online content without interference or manipulation by their internet service provider.”
Mozilla, a non-profit community of technologists whose mission is to ensure that the internet is a global public resource, also filed a petition in Federal Court in Washington D.C. against the FCC. In their statement, they noted that, “ending net neutrality could end the internet as we know it” and that they filed the petition because the FCC decision harms internet users and innovators and “really only benefits large Internet Service Providers.”
The Internet Association, a trade group that represents big tech forms like Google and Netflix, support the lawsuits, in some cases, financially. These companies say that the rollback of net neutrality regulations gives internet service providers the motivation to block and throttle their sites to get extra fees.
Also fighting to restore net neutrality rules are the senate Democrats who claim that they have put together 50 votes for a measure to block the FCC’s December decision. They need just one more GOP vote to meet the 51-vote threshold for a senate resolution of disapproval.
At Billshark, we believe in fighting for the consumer, which is why we firmly support any regulations that benefit consumers over big service providers. We will keep fighting for consumer rights, one bill at a time.