Public Knowledge Applauds Committee Approval of Save the Internet Act, Encourages House to Act
Public Knowledge Applauds Committee Approval of Save the Internet Act, Encourages House to Act
Public Knowledge Applauds Committee Approval of Save the Internet Act, Encourages House to Act

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    Today, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up Chairman Mike Doyle’s (D-PA) bill, “Save the Internet Act,” (H.R. 1644) to restore the Federal Communications Commission’s 2015 Open Internet Order, and the agency’s strong net neutrality rules. Public Knowledge supports passage of H.R. 1644 (and its Senate companion bill, S. 682), and commends Chairman Doyle and full Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) for taking decisive action to restore strong net neutrality protections for consumers.

    The following can be attributed to Phillip Berenbroick, Senior Policy Counsel at Public Knowledge:

    “After nearly 15 years of FCC rulemaking, litigation, and talk of legislating, today’s vote by the House Energy and Commerce Committee is another significant step toward enshrining core net neutrality protections in statute. This vote re-confirms the FCC’s responsibility to protect consumers and provide oversight of broadband providers. Chairman Pallone, Chairman Doyle, and the members of the Energy and Commerce Committee who voted to report the Save the Internet Act deserve significant credit for their long-standing commitment to consumer protection and protecting the Open Internet.

    “The fact that the Save the Internet Act was the first bill this Congress marked up by the full Energy and Commerce Committee speaks to the importance of protecting the Open Internet. The internet is the critical communications platform of the 21st Century. More than 80 percent of voters consistently say they support restoring the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order. Americans rely on the internet for communicating with friends and family, accessing education and health care, participating in economic and civic life, finding news and information, and contacting first responders and other emergency services.

    “We urge members of the House to support the Save the Internet Act, and ask House Leadership to move quickly to consider the bill. Since the current FCC voted to eliminate net neutrality protections in 2017, broadband providers have slowly and carefully moved to erode the concepts of net neutrality in their business practices and their advocacy. Restoring the FCC’s traditional consumer protection and oversight role over telecommunications services, and enshrining net neutrality protections in statute, is essential to ensuring and protecting economic opportunity and basic access to communications for all.”

    For more information on Public Knowledge’s work to overturn the FCC’s 2017 repeal of net neutrality protections in in court, you may also view our intervenors’ brief.

    Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.