Shout it with me: FCC is bringing back net neutrality

Millions of people have called on the Federal Communications Commission to protect the free and open internet — backed by the authority of Title II of the Communications Act — registering more public comments on this issue than any other in the agency’s history. Now, under the leadership of FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel — who had to wait two years to act until the Senate filled a vacant seat on the commission — net neutrality, gutted under the Trump administration, is back on the docket. A new vote to restore it is set for April 25 at the FCC. Without Title II authority, the FCC can’t protect user privacy, promote broadband competition, eliminate hidden junk fees and other scams, or step in when monopoly-minded internet service providers do you wrong. During the height of the pandemic, for example, the FCC was left begging companies not to cut off service because the agency lacked the legal mandate to make demands of AT&T, Charter, Comcast and Verizon. The draft order released in April 2024 by Rosenworcel and her staff would fix these problems and restore the agency’s rightful authority over internet access services. In the remaining days before a final vote, we’re likely to see an upsurge in industry fueled misinformation and long-debunked claims. The truth is that net neutrality is so necessary because it’s how the internet has always worked — and it’s what makes possible an internet where people can make their own choices, not just pick from a fixed menu dictated and filtered by a few giant gatekeepers.

[Craig Aaron is the co-CEO of Free Press and Free Press Action, which aim to give people a say in policy decisions that shape media and technology.]