DORGAN AND SNOWE COMMEND FCC FOR TAKING ACTION TO PROTECT INTERNET FREEDOM
Thursday, October 22, 2009
CONTACT: Justin Kitsch
or Brenden Timpe
PHONE: 202-224-2551
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – With the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) beginning its rulemaking process today to protect Internet freedom, U.S. Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) offered bipartisan praise for the agency’s initiation of an effort to preserve the open nature of the Internet through “network neutrality.”
“Network neutrality protects the fundamental rights of Americans in using the Internet and accessing content, applications, and services of their choice. A well-reasoned network neutrality policy also ensures a level playing field for companies large and small as they create an online presence, and will continue to foster the entrepreneurial innovation found not only in corporate office suites, but in college dorms across the country,” said Senators Dorgan and Snowe.
“We commend the FCC for beginning the process to examine the issue today, as these fundamental protections are critical to ensuring Internet freedom and openness. We encourage all stakeholders and the public to participate in this rulemaking so that the Commission will have the necessary information to develop sound policy,” said the Senators.
Dorgan and Snowe were the lead sponsors of network neutrality legislation in the Senate during the last session of Congress. Now that the FCC is taking action to ensure open access to the Internet, the two senators say they will continue to monitor the rulemaking process, and are open to introducing legislation to ensure network neutrality safeguards, if necessary.
“Americans from Bismarck to Bangor want to know that they will have open access to the Internet,” Dorgan and Snowe added. “To keep the Internet open and accessible, we intend to follow the FCC’s rulemaking process very closely.”
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