Shaheen Statement On Net Neutrality Vote

(Washington, DC) — Today, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) issued the following statement in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) vote to repeal net neutrality regulations put in place by the Obama administration:

“I’m very concerned by the FCC’s decision to roll back net neutrality regulations, which will threaten equal access to an open and free internet,” said Senator Shaheen. “Net neutrality rules were put in place to protect rural communities, small businesses and consumers, and bolster innovation. Consumers are rightly worried that this ruling could significantly impact their online experience. There is broad public opposition to doing away with these rules and it’s disappointing that the FCC didn’t factor this into their decision. I urge the FCC to reconsider and recommit to upholding the principals of a free and open internet.”

Senator Shaheen is the lead Democrat on the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship. Shaheen recently led a letter with several of her colleagues to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, emphasizing the importance of net neutrality regulations to small business interests. She also joined more than three dozen other Democratic senators on a letter to Chairman Pai on Tuesday, urging him to abandon his plan to repeal the FCC’s net neutrality rules. And last week, Senator Shaheen joined Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and other Democratic senators to call on Chairman Pai to delay today’s vote due to reports that bots filed hundreds of thousands of comments to the FCC during the net neutrality policymaking process.