This morning, Democratic Leaders of the House and Senate  unveiled the Save the Internet Act, which would reverse the Trump FCC’s repeal of the 2015 net neutrality rules and the FCC’s authority to protect consumers and promote competition in the broadband market. The Act would codify the protections in the 2015 Open Internet Order. 

The following statement should be attributed to Gigi Sohn:

The Save the Internet Act reinstates the legal framework that ensures that the Internet will remain open and free. These protections – both the 2015 net neutrality rules and the FCC’s authority to protect consumers, promote competition and ensure affordable access in the broadband market, are supported by overwhelming numbers of Americans across the political spectrum. I applaud the bicameral group of lawmakers who introduced this bill for acting to return the Internet to where it belongs – in the hands of Internet users, not broadband providers.

Broadband providers and their friends on Capitol Hill have insisted for over 4 years that they support net neutrality, but not rules that opened broadband providers to rate regulation and local loop unbundling under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. The Save the Internet Act is a separate law that codifies FCC authority over broadband and strong net neutrality rules but prohibits application of over 700 laws and regulations under Title II, including rate regulation and unbundling.  Thus, industry and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should support this bill and bring it to quick passage in both Houses of Congress.

Gigi Sohn is a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy and the Benton Foundation Senior Fellow and Public Advocate. She was Counselor to former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler from November 2013-December 2016 and worked on the 2015 Open Internet Order.  Gigi can be reached for comment at the above email address or at 202-253-0876.  More on Gigi can be found at gigisohn.com.