OTI Opposes Rep. Blackburn’s “Dead on Arrival” Net Neutrality Bill

Today, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation that would establish loophole-ridden net neutrality rules and strip the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), state governments, and municipalities of their authority to address future net neutrality-related harms. Last week, the FCC voted 3-2 to repeal the 2015 net neutrality rules and abdicate its enforcement authority over internet service providers (ISPs).

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

"Congresswoman Blackburn's bill would only make things worse for consumers, small businesses, and internet freedom. Rather than meaningfully restore online protections, the bill is riddled with loopholes for companies like AT&T and Comcast. It also steamrolls the FCC, state governments, and municipalities by stripping them of their authority to protect consumers from future harms. This power grab is unacceptable.

Any bill that completely ignores interconnection abuse and paid prioritization is not a serious legislative effort. Rather, this looks like an even weaker version of a 2015 bill that Rep. Upton (R-Mich.) and Sen. Thune (R-S.D.) drafted. For any serious supporter of net neutrality, this bill is dead on arrival."