More Than 100 Mayors Sign Pledge to Protect the Open Internet as FCC’s Net Neutrality Repeal Is Set to Take Effect

More than 100 US mayors have signed on to the Cities Open Internet Pledge requiring all internet providers that do business with participating cities to adhere to strong Net Neutrality principles.  The effort was launched during the SXSW conference in March when Mayors Bill de Blasio of New York City, Steve Adler of Austin (TX) and Ted Wheeler of Portland (OR) released the pledge and urged fellow mayors to sign on. In collaboration, Free Press Action Fund created the MayorsForNetNeutrality.org website and partnered with Daily Kos, Demand Progress, Democracy for America, People for the American Way, Roots Action and other groups to alert residents to write their local mayors and ask them to sign the pledge. The action is the mayors’ response to the Federal Communications Commission’s unpopular 2017 decision to strip internet users of Net Neutrality protections.