The FCC To Field More Comments On Net Neutrality. Maybe They'll Stop Identity Theft And Fraud This Time?

from the round-and-round-we-go dept

Last October the DC US Court of Appeals upheld a large chunk of the FCC's controversial net neutrality repeal with a 2-1 vote. But the ruling wasn't a total win for Ajit Pai's FCC. The ruling blocked the FCC and broadband industry's attempt to include a provision in the repeal that would have banned US states from being able to protect consumers, noting that when the Trump FCC abdicated its consumer protection authority, it also gave up its right to say what state regulators and lawmakers could or couldn't do.

The courts also forced the FCC to take several parts of the Orwellian-named "restoring internet freedom order" (which did nothing of the sort) back to the drawing board. Specifically, the Ajit Pai FCC was told it spent little to no time considering how its handout to industry impacted minorities, low income communities, and public safety--suggesting it should, you know... do that.

But, as per the request, the FCC will need to open up its process to public comment one more time:

Care about #netneutrality? Want to fix the mess the FCC made when it rolled back open internet policies? Time to speak up. The FCC is asking for public comment on net neutrality matters the court said it got wrong. This is our shot. Let's do this.https://t.co/3ONvuen17E — Jessica Rosenworcel (@JRosenworcel) February 19, 2020

Granted the last time we went through this, Trump and broadband industry linked PR shops flooded the FCC website with comments from fake people, dead people, and the stolen identities of real folks (including myself)--all to try to create the illusion that pandering to telecom monopolies was ultra popular (note: it's fucking not). And since absolutely nobody has been held accountable for any of this, there's nothing to suggest the same stage play won't repeat itself as the Ajit Pai FCC whistles and looks in the opposite direction.

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Filed Under: comments, fcc, net neutrality