Today, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the next step in their plan to roll back net neutrality. The FCC still has time to remove the vote from the docket, which we hope they do before the December 14 meeting.
If the FCC votes to roll back these net neutrality protections, they would end the internet as we know it, harming every day users and small businesses, eroding free speech, competition, innovation and user choice in the process.
Our position is clear: the end of net neutrality would only benefit Internet Service Providers (ISPs). That’s why we’ve led the charge on net neutrality for years to ensure everyone has access to the entire internet.
It is imperative that all internet traffic be treated equally, without discrimination against content or type of traffic — that’s the how the internet was built and what has made it one of the greatest inventions of all time.
As the organization that fights to keep the internet free and open for all, we urge the FCC and Chairman Pai to protect net neutrality and keep this vote off its docket.
Assuming the FCC moves forward with the proposal to obliterate net neutrality protections, there will be a lawsuit or several. Mozilla will not be a bystander – protecting net neutrality is core to the internet and crucial for people’s jobs and everyday lives. Mozilla stands ready to engage in the inevitable and necessary litigation that will follow, alongside many other stakeholders from the technology industry and the public interest community. In the meantime, we should focus on creating more engagement and reaction for the FCC to consider before the vote – please contact your local representative.