Media Center

On the eve of the Senate Commerce Committee’s first Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Oversight Hearing of 2017, Common Cause and 170 allied public interest organizations sent a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune and Ranking Member Bill Nelson calling for the protection of the free and open internet. The letter urges these leaders to support and continue to enforce the 2015 Open Internet Order and to oppose legislative and regulatory actions that would threaten the strong net neutrality rules already in place.

"I am totally convinced the majority of Americans, including many who voted for the new president, strongly favor an open internet and a media ecosystem that is up to the task of informing democracy,”

Statements by President Karen Hobert Flynn and Michael Copps, special advisor on media and democracy reform

The FCC has delivered a powerful one-two punch for Internet users and for the kind of open, robust debate that is vital to a successful democracy. Thanks to today’s action on net neutrality, candidates of every party and advocates of every cause can be assured of equal access to our electronic town square. And because the commission has moved to protect the development of community-owned broadband networks, commercial Internet service providers have a powerful new incentive to offer fast, reliable service at a reasonable cost.

President Obama’s call for strong Open Internet (“net neutrality”) protections under Title II of the Telecommunications Act is an important step toward ensuring that the Internet remains a forum for the free and robust exchange of ideas, Common Cause said today.