FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2017
Contact: Mark Stanley, press@demandprogress.org, 202.681.7582
The following statement can be attributed to Demand Progress executive director David Segal:
“Today’s announcement from President Trump’s FCC chair Ajit Pai is outrageous, but not surprising. The announcement is outrageous because the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order, classifying internet provision under Title II, is a commonsense measure to safeguard the open internet that so many depend on and that has been upheld by the courts. Millions of Americans as well as internet companies, startups and innovators have supported the order. The order’s main opponents are large ISPs that have made it clear they want to subvert the public interest by manipulating internet traffic to benefit corporate bottom lines.
“Pai’s move is not surprising, though, because as a former lawyer for Verizon, he has demonstrated an unwavering resolve in siding with the industry that once employed him, rather than with the interests of everyday consumers and innovators. Pai’s plan to roll back Title II net neutrality protections is the latest in his litany of anti-consumer actions while serving as FCC chair under President Trump, including halting expansion of the Lifeline program that would deliver affordable broadband to more low-income Americans. Demand Progress and our two million members will fight Pai’s effort to dismantle net neutrality every step of the way, including a push to help drive over one million grassroots actions in opposition to his plan in the coming weeks.”
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