Assemblymember Steck: FCC Vote to End Net Neutrality Will Hurt Consumers

“To put it plainly, Net Neutrality embodies the freedom of the internet. No internet service provider should be able to dictate what web sites or apps you can or can’t access, the same way your electric company shouldn’t decide what electronics you can plug in. Despite comments from millions of Americans, consumer advocacy groups, and the tech industry itself urging the FCC to preserve Net Neutrality, they decided to give yet another handout to corporate interests seeking to make more money at the expense of the middle-class.

“The internet has become the most important tool we have for finding the latest news, searching for jobs, continuing our education, and everything in between. Net Neutrality is the idea that no matter who you are, or how much money you have, everyone can access the same internet as anyone else. We must fight back to restore this important protection to all Americans.

“As part of their decision, the FCC also made it clear that they intend to prohibit state and local governments from imposing their own net neutrality regulations. While we will do everything we can at the state level to fight back against today’s decision, this severely ties our hands and goes against the fundamental concept of state’s rights that the current federal administration claims to hold so dearly. I urge our representatives in Congress to immediately introduce legislation codifying net neutrality laws.”