Healey, other AGs urge FCC to maintain net neutrality
Attorney General Maura Healey.
A coalition of attorneys general, including Maura Healey of Massachusetts, is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to preserve net neutrality following a proposal to revisit open internet rules from the agency’s new chairman.
The FCC has initiated a proceeding to revisit the rules, which prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking access to websites, slowing down speeds, or accepting payment for priority delivery of certain content over others. The rules were passed in 2015 and upheld by the D.C. circuit Court of Appeals.
However, Ajit Pai, the agency’s chairman, wants to revisit those rules, claiming they’re burdensome and have reduced investment.
The attorneys general argue there’s no basis to reverse the rules, and without them, ISPs will be free to favor their own content over third-party sites and consumers will lose the freedom to visit sites of their choice without interference.
“Just as consumers expect that they will be able to call any number through their telephone company, they expect that they will be able to reach any website through their ISP,” said the written statement from the attorneys general. “Without enforceable rules assuring that their ISPs will deliver all content and services as requested, there are no guarantees that consumers will not be deprived of the freedom they now enjoy when they go online.”
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