Susan Collins (R-ME) opposition signals trouble ahead for the agency as GOP Senator joins with two other Maine lawmakers in bi-partisan opposition to FCC plan

The Bangor Daily News is reporting that Maine Senator Susan Collins is the first GOP member of Congress to publicly oppose the agency’s plan to end net neutrality. Republican members of the House and Senate have been silent since FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced a December vote to repeal Title II net neutrality. Since Tuesday morning Congress has heard unprecedented public outcry with net neutrality activists driving nearly 450,000 calls to Congress through the BattleForTheNet.com campaign.

"Internet providers must not manage their system in an anti-competitive way that limits consumers’ choices," a spokesperson for Senator Collins told the Bangor Daily News, explaining the Senator’s opposition to the FCC’s plan.

Responding to today’s news, Evan Greer, Campaign Director for Fight for the Future (pronouns she/her) had this to say:

"We would like to thank Senator Collins for having the courage to speak out against the FCC’s extreme plan to gut Title II net neutrality protections, and we hope to see more Republican lawmakers join her call for the FCC to protect, not gut net neutrality before the agency’s December 14th vote. Senator Collins clearly recognizes that businesses and Internet users across this country simply cannot afford to be unprotected from anti-competitive practices perpetrated by the nation’s broadband giants. An overwhelming majority of Republican voters support existing net neutrality rules. Other GOP lawmakers should follow Senator Collins lead, listen to their constituents about this crucial issue, and take action to stop the FCC’s irresponsible rush toward a vote."

Since Chairman Pai’s announcement earlier this week, we have seen a huge outpouring of support from across the country. In the last 72 hours, nearly 450,000 calls to Congress have been generated by concerned Internet users through BattleForTheNet.com alone, and today’s announcement shows that citizen pressure is working. When enough people speak up, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have to sit up and take notice – and that’s exactly what we’re seeing happen today."

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