Sharing the press release from Senator Franken…

WASHINGTON, D.C. [05/18/17]—Today, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) preliminary vote—which was decided on a 2-1 party-line basis—to get rid of the rules that protect net neutrality threatens to destroy the internet as we know it.

“Make no mistake: the FCC just took a major step toward destroying the internet as we know it, putting the interests of a handful of giant corporations like Comcast and Verizon ahead of the American people,” Sen. Franken said. “For as long as the internet has existed, it’s been grounded on the principle of net neutrality—meaning what you read, see, or watch on the internet shouldn’t be favored, blocked, or slowed down based on where that content is coming from. Net neutrality allows Minnesota’s small businesses to compete with the big guys, it drives innovation by putting entrepreneurs on the same playing field with large companies, and it protects Americans’ free speech. The truth is there’s no good reason to get rid of strong net neutrality protections, unless you want to give giant companies the power to shake-down consumers and small businesses even more by establishing fast and slow lanes. This is a terrible idea, and it’s never been more important for us mobilize and fight back to stop the FCC—and the large corporations who are behind this attack—from destroying the free and open internet that all Americans deserve.”

Sen. Franken has long been a leading champion of net neutrality, calling it the free speech issue of our time. And yesterday, he took to the Senate floor to defend a free and open internet. You can watch Sen. Franken’s speech by clicking here.