Ed Markey: “I would like to speak on behalf of my constituents and the tens of millions of Americans who rely on a free and open…”

“I would like to speak on behalf of my constituents and the tens of millions of Americans who rely on a free and open internet. Make no mistake, we are locked in a historic battle to preserve the core principles of competition, innovation, and consumer choice that have made the internet the world's greatest platform for commerce and communications; a historic battle to restore the hallmark of American innovation and democratization; a historic battle to protect America's innovation incubator and job generator--a battle for net neutrality. In December, the Trump FCC, the Federal Communications Commission, eliminated net neutrality. These rules prevented your internet service provider--Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and Charter--from indiscriminately charging more for internet fast lanes or slowing down or even blocking certain websites entirely, the very rules that allow inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses, the lifeblood of the American economy, to connect to the internet. The reason why is simple. The Trump administration sides with the rich and the powerful first and consistently puts everyday American lives last. We have seen them wage an all-out assault on healthcare, on climate change, and now on net neutrality, but today the internet is fighting back, and we have a powerful tool at our disposal that will allow the average consumer to have their voices heard right here on the floor of the U.S. Senate.…”