Privacy Fight gives hope to net neutrality advocates

Network neutrality advocates are feeling emboldened by the outcry over the GOP’s repeal of internet privacy regulations, viewing it as an opportunity to harness grassroots support for their cause. “I think for Republicans and the ISPs who pushed them into this, this is a short-term victory,” said Matt Wood, policy director of the advocacy group Free Press. “But as they won this battle, they might have hurt their chances in the war, because they have reawakened people ... to how it really isn’t a partisan issue.”

“I suspect that net neutrality repeal is right around the corner, and I think that anger is going to continue to spin,” said Gigi Sohn, who was a counselor to former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler and who had a hand in crafting the privacy rules. Sohn said that she sees parallels in the battles over net neutrality and broadband privacy, arguing that they’re both arguments about how much control telecom companies should have over users’ online experiences. She argued that eliminating the rules could lead to a greater public awareness about what Congress and even the FCC are doing about net neutrality. “It’s priming the pump of an enormous wave of grassroots activity on net neutrality,” Sohn said. “We’re not going to start on square one, we’re going to start on square 10.”