Declaring Free and Open Internet 'Critical' for Democracy, 23 State AGs Call on Court to Reinstate Net Neutrality

Arguing that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) deeply unpopular repeal of net neutrality rules is both unlawful and poses real safety hazards for Americans, 23 state attorneys general asked a federal appeals court to reinstate the regulations.

“A free and open internet is critical to New York—and to our democracy,” said New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, who led the filing of Monday’s brief. “By repealing net neutrality, the FCC is allowing internet service providers to put their profits before consumers while controlling what we see, do, and say online.”

The brief was submitted as part of the lawsuit Underwood—along with her counterparts from states including California, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi, as well as the District of Columbia—filed weeks after the FCC repealed the rules last December.

In addition to putting Americans at risk for abusive practices by internet service providers (ISPs) like Verizon and Comcast who are now able to block and throttle traffic to certain websites while offering paid “fast lanes” to internet companies that can afford them, the net neutrality repeal could potentially endanger people’s safety, the attorneys general argued.