WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision today to move forward on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to repeal existing net neutrality protections, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) – a strong proponent of the open internet – released the following statement:

            “Today’s vote by the FCC is a mistake. Rolling back these common-sense net neutrality protections would only deprive Americans of open and equal access to the internet and hand over immense power to service providers who will be able to act as unchecked gatekeepers. That’s not right. The internet is a powerful engine for economic and social opportunity, and it empowers free speech and innovation. It must remain open to all – not just the highest bidder.” 

Senator King is a fierce proponent of protecting the internet as a tool that can be used equally by all. In September 2015, he filed an amicus brief with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in support of the FCC’s Open Internet rules. He also wrote a letter to then-FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in advance of the Commission’s net neutrality decision urging that broadband be reclassified as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

In December 2014, he also penned an op-ed for CNN with Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in support of an open internet.

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