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Fight for net neutrality is just beginning

On Dec. 14, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to make a big mistake regarding your internet.

The FCC, led by new Chairman Ajit Pai, will likely vote for a plan that will decimate the internet consumer protections (also called “net neutrality”) the commission passed in 2015.

Here’s why CUB favors those net neutrality rules: They STOP big internet service providers (ISPs) from:

  1. controlling our access to certain websites;
  2. forcing website operators to pay more to avoid content getting blocked or slowed; and
  3. obstructing a competitor’s Internet services to favor their own.

For CUB, this is a pocketbook issue. If big companies like Amazon have to pay more for an “internet fast lane,” then we’ll pay for more their services. And this shouldn’t be a partisan issue — just this week a poll showed a majority of Republicans and Democrats in support of the current rules.

As you know, this isn’t the end of the fight. It will spill into the courts, and many people are saying Congress needs to step in to secure net neutrality protections.

But right now the issue is before the FCC, and as we prepare for the battles ahead it’s important that we come together and let Chairman Pai know: Illinoisans aren’t happy he wants to kill the current protections.