January 24, 2018
During the long ‘net neutrality’ debate, IIA consistently maintained that the principles of an open Internet could — and would — be maintained under the FCC’s pre-existing regulatory framework and principles in place for over a decade. Those principles are clear: No blocking, no censorship of legitimate online content, and no throttling or discrimination of traffic based on content.
AT&T today reaffirmed its commitment to these principles. We hope that others will soon follow with similar commitments to maintain an open Internet. But statements are ultimately not enough. America’s consumers deserve more.
We have long advocated for Congressional legislation that would make permanent the core principles of an open Internet. Only Congress can craft a unified regulatory framework that would apply to all entities in the Internet ecosystem and provide the nation’s consumers and businesses with the online protections they deserve. Consumers should have one expectation of fair rules on the Internet rather than a confusing patchwork depending on what sites they visit or how they access the Internet.
We hope Congress will act swiftly, and on a bipartisan basis, to finally settle the net neutrality debate by adopting a 21st Century ‘Consumer Internet Protection Act’ that will guarantee in law the necessary and comprehensive safeguards to protect all Americans and their online activities.”
Below is AT&T’s full ad from the 01/24/18 Washington Post:
