[UPDATE: Read our reply comments here]
[Read our full submission here]
Net neutrality – the concept that your internet provider should not be able to block, throttle, or prioritize elements of your internet service, such as to favor their own products or business partners – is on the docket again in the United States. With the FCC putting out a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to reinstate net neutrality, Mozilla weighed in last week with a clear message: the FCC should reestablish these common sense rules as soon as possible.
We have been fighting for net neutrality around the world for the better part of a decade and a half. Most notably, this included Mozilla’s challenge to the Trump FCC’s dismantling of net neutrality in 2018.
American internet users are on the cusp of renewed protections for the open internet. Our recently submitted comment to the FCC’s NPRM took a step back to remind the FCC and the public of the real benefits of net neutrality: Competition, Grassroots Innovation, Privacy, and Transparency and Accountability.
Simply put, if the FCC moves forward with reclassification of broadband as a Title II service, it will protect innovation in edge services; unlock vital privacy safeguards; and prevent ISPs from leveraging their market power to control people’s experiences online. With vast increases in our dependence on the internet since the COVID-19 pandemic, these protections are more important than ever.
We encourage others who are passionate about the open internet to file reply comments on the proceeding, which are due January 17, 2024.
You can read our full comment here.