Washington, DC — On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is hearing arguments for a lawsuit filed by Big Telecom to block the net neutrality protections and Title II classification that the Federal Communications Commission reinstated earlier this year. The rules, which would ensure that internet service providers treat all content equally, were placed on hold by the court after the telecommunications industry filed its lawsuit. Demand Progress Education Fund has long been a champion for an open internet and has led several grassroots efforts that have driven more than 100,000 people to take action in support of net neutrality over the past year.
The following is a statement from Demand Progress Education Fund Senior Campaigner Joey DeFrancesco:
“Internet access is not a luxury, but a necessity for participating in modern America. The content we’re allowed to see and how fast we’re allowed to see it should not be decided by who pays giant telecom companies the most money. The FCC’s net neutrality rules help ensure an open and free internet for all of us. We support strong net neutrality rules and reject Big Telecom’s harmful, self-serving efforts to gate off the internet for those who can pay them.”