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WEBVTT KEVIN: JIMMY GARLAND NEVERTHOUGHT HIS NAME WOULD END UP INTHE MIDDLE OF A NATIONALCONTROVERSY.>> THAT'S ME.KEVIN: I SHOWED HIM A STATEMENTUNDER HIS NAME AND ADDRESS.>> I DID NOT WRITE THAT.KEVIN: HIS NAME AND OVER 100,000CALIFORNIANS WERE ATTACHED TOTHE SAME PARAGRAPH, ASKING THEFCC TO MAKE CONTROVERSIALCHANGES TO INTERNET REGULATIONS.HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THIS?NET NEUTRALITY.HIS NAME WASN'T THE ONLY ONEUSED FROM SACRAMENTO.>> I DON'T EVEN FOLLOW THEPOLITICS.KEVIN: DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT NETNEUTRALITY IS?MICHAEL HAMMETT WAS IN JAIL WHENUSING HIS NAME AND GEL ADDRESSWAS SENT IN.>> I DON'T HAVE ACCESS TOINTERNET HERE.KEVIN: STATE EMPLOYEES ANDPRIVATE BUSINESSES AMONG AMYRIAD OF FAYE COMMENTS.THIS AUTO REPAIR BUSINESS WASROPED INTO THE MIX, TOO.>> YOU HAVE TO BUY A SERVICE FORPROTECTING YOUR IDENTITY.THIS IS WHAT IS GOING ON.I DON'T KNOW OR THE LAWENFORCEMENT IS.I DON'T KNOW WHERE FCC IS HEREAND I DON'T KNOW OR THEGOVERNMENT IS.KEVIN: THE CALIFORNIA ATTORNEYGENERAL ASKED TO DELAY THE VOTE.

Advertisement Thousands of names from Sacramento used in fake FCC comments More than 1 million fake comments were filed with FCC Share Shares Copy Link Copy

More than 3,000 comments using Sacramento residents' names and addresses were submitted to the Federal Communications Commission encouraging the agency to repeal net neutrality regulations, a KCRA 3 Investigation found.All those comments were fake. More than 1 million fake comments were made in the names of people from across the country.One of the fake comments used the name of an inmate and the address of a Sacramento County jail. Others included names of a retired state employee, an administrative assistant at a downtown firm and a nonexistent employee of a landmark Sacramento restaurant.++ WAS YOUR NAME USED? Find out by tapping here.Jimmy Garlin never thought his name would end up in the middle of a national controversy."Jimmy Garlin, OK, that's me," Garlin said as he looked over a printout of the comment with his name and address.The seven-line statement asks the FCC to repeal Obama Administration internet regulations. Below is the text of the comment filed with the FCC using Garlin's identity:"Before leaving office, the Obama Administration rammed through a massive scheme that gave the federal government broad regulatory control over the internet. That misguided policy decision is threatening innovation and hurting broadband investment in one of the largest and most important sectors of the U.S. economy. I support the Federal Communications Commissions decision to roll back Title II and allow for free market principles to guide our digital economy.""I did not write that. I did not write that," Garlin said. "Those are too big of words." His name and more than 100,000 other Californians' names were attached to an identical paragraph asking the FCC to make controversial changes to internet regulations.Garlin said he wasn't even sure what net neutrality was and would not have sent the FCC a comment on the regulations.++ REPORT IT: File a complaint here if your name was usedMichael Hammond, a Sacramento County Jail inmate, was also listed among those who wrote the FCC."I don't follow all the politics," Hammond said from the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center, where he is serving time for auto theft. "No sir, I do not know what net neutrality is."He was in custody when the comment was sent to the FCC. "Which is weird because I've been here for a couple of months, and I definitely don't have access to internet here," Hammond added.++ MORE: Net neutrality: What is it and what does it mean for you? The address of John Khoshcar's auto repair business in downtown Sacramento was roped into the mix too. But, he said he didn't know who would have used his business address to send a comment to the FCC. "Now you got to buy a service for protecting your identity. This is what's going on," Khoshcar said. "I don't know where the law enforcement is. I don't know where the FCC is. I don't know where the government is."California Attorney General Xavier Beccerra asked the FCC to delay the vote, citing the number of known fake comments. He was one of 17 attorneys general that signed a letter to the FCC, calling the fake comments identity theft on a massive scale."At the California Department of Justice, we take seriously any and all allegations concerning the fraudulent usage of people’s identities. We urge Californians to check whether they have been impacted," the attorney general's office said in a statement. Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, said in a statement Thursday she is concerned by the reports of fake comments."Ensuring the integrity of the public comment period in rulemaking procedures is an essential component of our democratic process. That’s why I signed a letter to the FCC before (Thursday's) vote asking that it be delayed. I’ve heard from my constituents, and they overwhelmingly want strong net neutrality protections, which I’m going to continue fighting for in Congress.”The vote was not delayed. The FCC approved in a 3-2 vote Thursday morning the repeal of net neutrality regulations.CHECK IF YOUR ID WAS USED TO FILE A FAKE COMMENTThe New York Attorney General’s Office created a website that allows people to search comments filed with the FCC. >> WAS YOUR NAME USED? Find out by tapping here.After entering your name in the box and hitting search, you'll see a list of all the comments filed with the FCC that use the name you searched. By clicking on each entry, you will be able to see the address used to file that comment.If you see your name, an address that was/is associated with you and a comment you didn’t file, your identity was used to file a fake comment with the FCC.The California Attorney General’s Office is urging people to file a complaint if their identity was used to file a fake comment.>> REPORT IT: File a complaint here if your name was used