WASHINGTON—BishopChristopher Coyne of Burlington, Chairman of the U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops' Committee on Communications, is urging the retention of an openinternet in the wake of a Federal Communications Commission proposal unveiledlast week that would repeal protections intended to keep the internet open andfair. The concept of an open internet has long been called "netneutrality," in which internet service providers neither favor nordiscriminate against internet users or websites. Bishop Coyne continues tovoice strong support for net neutrality protections in a statement in responseto last week's proposed FCC action.

Bishop Coyne'sfull statement follows:

"Strong netneutrality protections are critical to the faith community to function andconnect with our members, essential to protect and enhance the ability ofvulnerable communities to use advanced technology, and necessary for anyorganization that seeks to organize, advocate for justice or bear witness inthe crowded and over-commercialized media environment.

Robust internetprotections are vital to enable our Archdioceses, Dioceses, and Eparchies,our parishes, schools and other institutions to communicate with each other andour members, to share religious and spiritual teachings, to promoteactivities online, and to engage people – particularly younger persons – in ourministries. Without open internet principles which prohibit paidprioritization, we might be forced to pay fees to ensure that ourhigh-bandwidth content receives fair treatment on the internet. Non-profit communities, both religious and secular, cannot afford to pay to competewith profitable commercialized content."

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Keywords: U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Bishop Christopher Coyne, Committee onCommunications, Federal Communications Commission, Internet, net neutrality

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