Delay of vote sought on net neutrality
The Federal Communications Commission is expected later this month to repeal landmark regulations that aim to ensure that all websites, large and small, are treated equally by internet providers.
But the attorney general of New York and a Democratic FCC commissioner say the agency should delay the crucial vote on net neutrality. They are part of a backlash of critics who have seized on what they say are millions of fake or automated comments submitted to the agency that have corrupted the policymaking process.
Public comments play an important role at the FCC, which typically solicits feedback from the public before it votes to make significant policy changes. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said at a news conference Monday that widespread irregularities tied to net neutrality feedback, including at least 1 million phony comments, have tainted the public commenting process.
A spokesperson for the FCC, responded Monday: “At today’s news conference, they didn’t identify a single comment relied upon in the draft order as being questionable. This is an attempt by people who want to keep the Obama administration’s heavy-handed internet regulations to delay the vote because they realize that their effort to defeat the plan to restore internet freedom has stalled.”