State Senator Kevin Parker Advocates to Protect Net Neutrality in NYS

Today, State Senator Kevin Parker issued the following statement in response to the FCC’s vote to repeal net neutrality: 

"As the Ranking Democratic member on the Senate Energy & Telecommunication Committee, I am totally dismayed by the vote taken by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that reverses the vital Obama era policy of net neutrality. Therefore as early as next week, I will introduce a bill in the State Senate that will protect the millions of internet users - artists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses alike, that the FCC has now abandoned by making it legal for Internet Service Providers (ISP) to charge and regulate broadband speed and other internet services. 

By doing away with net neutrality, not only has the FCC done the bidding of big business and the rich, but also armed them with the capability of blocking free speech entirely or promoting the speech of people depending on their ability to pay or if they like what an individual has to say. "

"Net neutrality is critical to free speech, artist development and social justice movements as we have seen in cases such as the growth and development of the #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo movements. If it were not for free and open access to the internet, they both may have been “dead on arrival.”"

"The primary intention of my Senate Bill is to retain the Obama era policy of net neutrality at a State level. Additionally, the legislation will include a clause that forbids State and municipalities from contracting with broadband companies that refuse to follow the Obama era net neutrality rules. An appropriation would provide a revolving loan fund for any municipality that has a non-complying ISP in its environs to be able to borrow the capital to build a competing network. These measures will be crucial to ensuring that an individuals financial circumstance does not determine the speed at which they use the worldwide web." 

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