US technologists and Internet companies speak for net neutrality

In two separate letters sent to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – as comments to the Commission’s Restoring Internet Freedom Notice of Proposed Rulemaking – Internet engineers, technologists, and Internet companies (represented by the Internet Association) have expressed their support for the 2015 net neutrality rules and asked the FCC to keep them in place. In their comments, a group of more than 190 engineers and technologists argue that, if the FCC goes ahead with its proposal tis would have disastrous results, as it is based on ‘plainly incorrect assumptions about the underlying technology and Internet ecosystem’. The comments submitted by the Internet Association underline, among others, that ‘both quantitative and qualitative evidence demonstrates the 2015 Open Internet Order is working’ and that ‘the entire Internet sector is thriving and there’s no need to change the rules’. Both letters point to the fact that the FCC should continue to maintain light-touch rules protecting net neutrality.