Frank Pallone: “I thank the chairman of our Subcommittee on Communications and Technology for all the work that he has done on this net…”

“I thank the chairman of our Subcommittee on Communications and Technology for all the work that he has done on this net neutrality legislation. We are here today to debate and vote on a bill that will keep the internet free and open. That sounds like a big deal, and it is a big deal. The Save the Internet Act ensures that consumers, rather than internet service providers, have control over their internet experience. This is just common sense. Each of us should be able to decide what videos we watch, which sites we read, and which services we use. Nobody should be able to influence that choice--not the government and not the large companies that run the networks. This legislation not only protects consumers from large corporations, but it also strengthens our economy by promoting innovation and small businesses. Net neutrality ensures that any business, no matter how small, gets the same internet at the same speeds as giant corporate interests. That is only fair. There should not be favorites. H.R. 1644 will return strong net neutrality protections to the internet. For over a decade, both Republican and Democratic FCCs restricted ISPs' ability to control consumer access to the internet and undermine small businesses' ability to compete. The Trump FCC affirmatively gave up that authority in 2017, choosing the big companies over the people. The bill before us would return the FCC to its traditional role of overseeing the Nation's channels of communications.…”