Washington, D.C. – Ahead of today’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote on net neutrality, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai this morning, urging him to abandon plans to rescind the agency’s net neutrality rules.
Since Chairman Pai announced his plans to roll back net neutrality rules on November 21, Bennet’s office has received more than 22,000 letters and 2,500 calls from concerned Coloradans. In a letter sent before the vote, Bennet echoed these concerns, warning that rescinding the rules “would undermine the fundamental promise of the Internet, which has enabled economic growth and entrepreneurship, as well as the free exchange of ideas essential to our democracy.”
“The Internet has become essential for technological innovation, economic development, and freedom of expression both in Colorado and across the country,” Bennet wrote. “It has also become a powerful force in breaking cycles of poverty and inequality…By rescinding these rules, Internet service providers (ISPs) would be able to favor or discriminate against websites or online media by charging higher fees for access to faster network speeds or premium content.”
Bennet emphasized that a free and open Internet has long-held bipartisan support, citing a speech delivered in Boulder, Colorado by Bush-era FCC Chairman Michael Powell on the “Four Internet Freedoms.” “Your proposal threatens to eliminate the FCC’s oversight role that has been in place for decades under both Democratic and Republican presidents,” Bennet wrote.
“As a regulatory body, the FCC has a responsibility to protect the standards that make it possible for our communities to thrive in the 21st Century,” Bennet concluded.
A copy of the letter is available HERE.