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40 ISPs, VPN & VoIP Providers Support Keeping Net Neutrality

Forty ISPs, VoiP and VPN providers this week wrote a letter to FCC boss Ajit Pai urging him to retain net neutrality protections, arguing the rules are necessary to help them compete with their dominant, ever-growing, incumbent counterparts. The full letter (pdf) from ISPs like Sonic, Credo, Monkey Brains, GWI, Ting and others argues that the FCC's decision to classify ISPs as common carriers under Title II of the Communication Act was a good thing for theis businesses.

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"Without a legal foundation to address the anticompetitive practices of the largest players in the market, the FCC’s current course threatens the viability of competitive entry and competitive viability," note the companies. "As direct competitors to the biggest cable and telephone companies, we have

reservations about any plan at the FCC that seeks to enhance their market power without any meaningful restraints on their ability to monopolize large swaths of the Internet."

Dane Jasper, CEO of Sonic, has long stated that claims that the rules saddled small ISPs with "onerous burdens" is bunk, adding that ISPs only really need to worry about the rules if they're planning to do something anti-competitive, anti-consumer, and stupid. Sonic and the other ISPs make it clear again here that -- contrary to the false claims of large ISPs like Comcast -- Title II and net neutrality didn't hamper their ability to invest in the slightest.

"We have encountered no new additional barriers to investment or deployment as a result of the 2015 decision to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service and have long supported network neutrality as a core principle for the deployment of networks for the American public to access the Internet," states the letter.

The ISPs, VPN and VoIP providers also took a moment to urge the FCC to address the problems created when the GOP recently decided to also kill consumer broadband privacy protections.

"We have long championed our customer’s privacy and believe Congress was in error to erode their legal right to privacy," they noted. "However, the repeal’s detrimental impact on the reach and scope of Section 222’s ISP privacy provisions has resulted in great uncertainty in the market that the FCC could help provide clarity."

The support from the 40 companies joins a roster of over 800 startups and small busineses that say they also support net neutrality protections, and such rules are necessary to help them more effectively compete with the likes of Comcast, AT&T and Verizon.

Most recommended from 17 comments



P Ness
You'Ve Forgotten 9-11 Already
Premium Member
join:2001-08-29
way way out

8 recommendations

P Ness

Premium Member

As if this administration will listen.....

keep dreaming
Ostracus
join:2011-09-05
Henderson, KY

3 recommendations

Ostracus

Member

Walls cost money.

The thing is is that technical measures to keep out VPNs, and VoIPs cost money. You know? Money that none of them have to upgrade their equipment, and expand into under served areas.
sd70mac
Premium Member
join:2015-10-18
Woodstock, IL

2 recommendations

sd70mac

Premium Member

Good of them!

It's still good of them to do the right thing, and support Title II.