Our Day in Court

On February 1, 2019, the Benton Foundation joins a host of public interest organizations, states, and businesses that are arguing that the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit should overturn the December 2017 Federal Communications Commission order that eliminated strong, enforceable net neutrality rules. An internet without net neutrality is a threat to free speech and democratic participation online. Without net neutrality protections, broadband providers are free to interfere with lawful content and services. An internet without net neutrality will stifle innovation. Broadband providers will be able to favor their own content and services over that of other speakers and impede new services from ever getting a chance to enter the marketplace. An internet without net neutrality will hurt small businesses most as broadband providers impose fees for priority access to their customers. It’s not just about the breadth of opportunities the internet can deliver, or how swiftly we can grow our economy. Fundamentally, the future of net neutrality is about the future of our democracy and what we as a society are able to achieve together. We will continue to fight for it.

Adrianne B. Furniss is the Executive Director of the Benton Foundation.

Andrew Jay Schwartzman is the Benton Senior Counselor at the Public Interest Communications Law Project at Georgetown University Law Center's Institute for Public Representation (IPR).