U.S. Senator Tina Smith backed a Senate effort to restore the national net neutrality protections that were recently gutted by President Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
“Net neutrality is the basic—but important—principle that what we read, view, and watch on the internet is free and open to everybody,” said Sen. Smith. “And that principle has long allowed for the internet to be a pillar of innovation that powers our modern economy. Tearing up net neutrality gives giant internet service providers the ability to pick and choose how Minnesota families, schools, and businesses use the internet. We can’t let that happen, which is why I’m backing the effort to restore the net neutrality protections that millions of Americans fought to establish.”
Last month, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai went against the will of a majority of the American people by scrapping the federal rules that prohibit internet service providers—like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon— from blocking, slowing down, or discriminating against content online. Repealing those net neutrality rules could lead to higher prices for Minnesota consumers, slower speeds, or even blocked websites. A recent poll showed that 83 percent of Americans do not approve of the FCC action to repeal net neutrality rules.
Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has pledged to introduce a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution that would undo action by the FCC and restore the 2015 net neutrality rules, and Sen.Smith added her name to that effort today.
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