Commentary: WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressional Progressive Caucus Co- Chairs Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), and First Vice Chair Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) made the following statement today after FCC Chairman Pai announced his plan to gut the 2015 Open Internet Order, which established strong anti-discrimination “net neutrality” rules.
“The flow of information is essential to a well-functioning democracy. Chairman Pai’s move to gut the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order threatens the transparency and fairness that underlies this notion. If he and the big telecom companies are successful, it will allow companies like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon to charge more for a tiered system where wealthy and powerful websites can pay to have their content delivered faster to consumers, leaving smaller, independent websites with slow load times, and consumers with obstructed access to the internet. In short, the FCC is now moving to block content and limit information to Americans. This will be particularly harmful to communities of color, students, and online activists.”
“Chairman Pai has argued that taking a ‘weed whacker’ to Net Neutrality will help spur innovation and jobs. That could not be further from the truth. The Open Internet has helped spur more economic development in its first ten years than the industrial revolution did in fifty. Net Neutrality is one of the grassroots’ greatest victories in the past decade, and we will do everything in our power to preserve it.”