One Year Later, Net Neutrality is Needed More than Ever

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai would have you believe that the network neutrality repeal was of no consequence — the Internet wasn’t destroyed, cute pictures of cats and dogs are still in abundance, Google and Netflix are alive and well. But even in the short 6 months since the Dec 14, 2017 repeal of the net neutrality rules became effective, we have seen how consumers and competitors lose when broadband providers are given license to self-regulate and the FCC discards its responsibility to oversee the market.

The one year anniversary of the repeal of the FCC’s 2015 net neutrality rules is not one to celebrate. It’s now up to the courts, the states or Congress to reinstate the rules and the FCC’s legal authority to protect consumers and competition. Otherwise, we’ll see more consumers, public safety officials and innovators with no place to go when their broadband provider answers to no one.

[Gigi Sohn serves as a Benton Senior Fellow]