[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), 43 other Democratic Senators and House leaders today in introducing the Save the Internet Act, which would keep the internet open, free and accessible for every American. The legislation would reverse the disastrous decision by the Trump Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in late 2017 to gut critical net neutrality protections.
“Rolling back net neutrality was a senseless way for President Trump and Chairman Pai to gain favor with big corporations despite the potential consequences for everyday Americans,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to be working with Senator Markey to reinstate these critical rules that keep the internet open and accessible for every American, help Illinois’s small businesses stay competitive and protect startups from being crushed by big corporations before they even have the chance to get off the ground.”
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“The FCC, under President Trump’s watch, walked away from its statutory duties and effectively eliminated its oversight over high-speed internet access. They granted providers the chance to freely block, slow down, or manipulate a consumer’s access to the internet as long as it discloses those practices – no matter how anti-consumer they might be,” said Durbin. “Simply put: the FCC has turned its back on consumers. I’m proud to fight this radical and reckless plan on behalf of the future of the free and open internet by cosponsoring the Save the Internet Act.”
“When we talk about a free and open internet, we mean an internet that is free from corporate control and open to anyone to communicate, innovate and connect,” Markey said. “Net neutrality ensures that when you pay your monthly bill to your internet service provider, you can able to access all content on the web at the same speed as your neighbor or big corporations. The Save the Internet Act is clear and simple: overturn the Trump FCC’s wrongheaded decision and restore strong net neutrality protections. Whether in the halls of Congress or the halls of the courts, we will not stop fighting until net neutrality is fully restored. I thank my colleagues in the Senate and House for their partnership in this fight.”
The Save the Internet Act enacts the three legacy net neutrality principles—no blocking, no throttling and no paid prioritization—and empowers the FCC to prohibit unjust, unreasonable and discriminatory practices. The legislation also ensures consumers can make informed decisions when shopping for internet plans and restores the FCC’s authority to fund broadband access and deployment, particularly for rural communities and struggling Americans. The Save the Internet Act codifies the FCC’s 2015 Open Internet Order in a similar manner to last year’s Congressional Review Act that passed the Senate and had bipartisan support in the House.
All Senators co-sponsoring the legislation include: Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Robert Casey (D-Penn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), John Tester (D-Mont.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
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