Commentary: Washington D.C. - Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) released the following statement after FCC Chairman Pai announced a plan to overturn the 2015 Open Internet Order’s net neutrality protections.
“With today’s decision to begin repealing the Federal Communication Commission’s historic 2015 Open Internet Order, Chairman Pai has again decided to help his friends in Big Telecom at the expense of competition, innovation, and the fundamental right to a free and open internet. Last week, Republicans chose to rig our nation’s tax system in favor of the rich and big corporations. This week, they are working to rig the internet to do the same.”
“If he is successful, Chairman Pai will hand the keys to our open internet to major corporations to charge more for a tiered system where wealthy and powerful websites can pay to have their content delivered faster to consumers. This leaves smaller, independent websites with slower load times and consumers with obstructed access to the internet – a particularly harmful decision for communities of color, students, and online activists. This is an assault on the freedom of speech and therefore our democracy.”
“The movement for net neutrality has shown that when everyday Americans organize, speak up, and stand up for their rights, we can disrupt the Washington status quo, where corporate special interests buy their preferred policies behind closed doors at little-known agencies like the FCC. The FCC will take a final vote on Chairman Pai’s proposal on December 14th. We have between now and then to fight back and make our voices heard.”
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) is the largest caucus within the House Democratic Caucus, with over 70 members standing up for progressive ideals in Washington and throughout the country. Since 1991, the CPC has advocated for progressive policies that prioritize working Americans over corporate interests, fight economic and social inequality, and promote civil liberties. The CPC champions progressive policy solutions like comprehensive immigration reform, a $15 national minimum wage, fair trade, gun violence reform, debt-free college, and making the federal government a Model Employer.