Blumenthal: Decision to Uphold Net Neutrality Rules is a Win for Consumers, Entrepreneurs & Innovators

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and a leading voice in support for a free and open Internet for all Americans, released the following statement today after the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) net neutrality rules:

“Today’s decision in the D.C. Circuit ensures that the Internet will remain the most powerful engine the world has ever known for free speech, education, and economic growth. The FCC’s rules protect the Internet as an open platform – prohibiting would-be gatekeepers from attempting to control the flow of content for their own economic gain,” Blumenthal said. “This decision means all consumers, regardless of how they access the Internet or what legal purpose they use it for, enjoy the same protections under the law. My hope is that we now have certainty for users across the country who rely on the Internet every day to shop, operate their business, or to invent the next technological breakthrough.”

The FCC’s new rules, which apply to all domestic broadband providers, prevent broadband providers from blocking or throttling lawful online content and ban paid-prioritization agreements through which websites could be charged for priority access.

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