The Trump FCC's Repeal of Net Neutrality Is Still Wrong, and Still Hurting People Without Internet Access

No amount of lying by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai will change this reality: The Trump FCC’s repeal of Net Neutrality protections and agency authority were wrong in 2017 and they’re still wrong today.

The FCC’s decision to forfeit its authority over broadband-internet service has undermined its ability to protect the Lifeline program, pole-attachment rights for competitive broadband providers and public safety — a glaring abandonment during a pandemic that has students, workers and patients more reliant on the internet than ever....Nearly 80 million people in America lack an adequate broadband connection at home today — yet Chairman Pai has the gall to brag about his supposed accomplishments.

We’ll say it again and again: The best remedy for such harms would be for the Commission to once again correctly classify broadband as a Title II service, protected by strong open-internet rules, and to take steps to ensure that broadband is truly available and affordable for everyone.