FCC Member Begs Public to 'Stop Us' From Killing Net Neutrality

Jessica Rosenworcel

A Democratic member of the FCC has written an op-ed that Americans must resist the agency's plans to end net neutrality rules adopted under the Obama administrationreports The Hill.

Jessica Rosenworcel wrote in the LATimes that the FCC's plan to gut net neutrality provisions is "lousy" and urged Americans to make their voices heard before a Dec. 14 vote.

"They have proposed to end net neutrality, and they are trying to force a vote on their plan on Dec. 14," Rosenworcel writes. "It’s a lousy idea. And it deserves a heated response from the millions of Americans who work and create online every day."

Net neutrality rules passed in 2015 prohibit internet service providers from providing faster speeds to companies that pay them larger amounts, meaning that larger and smaller companies are treated the same. Proponents of net neutrality say it prohibits larger tech companies from throttling the competition's internet traffic.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced last week that the FCC would overturn those rules in December after a vote.

“Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the internet,” Pai said in a statement. “Instead, the FCC would simply require internet service providers to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that’s best for them.”

“Reach out to the rest of the FCC now,” Rosenworcel adds. “Tell them they can’t take away internet openness without a fight.”