OTI Praises Clean Vote to Advance Net Neutrality Bill

Today, the House Energy and Commerce Communications and Technology Subcommittee voted 18-11 to advance H.R. 1644, a bill that would reinstate the 2015 Open Internet Order. By restoring the 2015 Order, the bill would bring back strong net neutrality rules that prohibit blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization, while also ensuring that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has oversight of internet service providers and can continue to police the broadband ecosystem for future anticompetitive and anti-consumer practices. Net neutrality rules are supported by a majority of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, as multiple studies, including one released as recently as last week, have consistently found. The net neutrality rules are important for consumers, small businesses, artists, small internet service providers, and the entire internet economy.

The following quote can be attributed to Joshua Stager, senior counsel at New America’s Open Technology Institute:

“We applaud the subcommittee’s vote to advance a clean bill. We urge the full committee to quickly take up this bill and move it to the House floor for a final vote. When Verizon throttled firefighters last year during California’s deadly wildfires, the FCC couldn’t do anything about it due to the net neutrality repeal. We need the FCC back as the cop on the beat before the next wildfire season starts.”