We Won’t Stop Fighting to Restore Net Neutrality

In December, the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, repealed net neutrality protections — a decision that could hurt every single American.

Net neutrality helps ensure that the internet remains free and open by requiring internet service providers, or ISPs, to treat all content the same, providing equal access to applications and content online.

Consumers, entrepreneurs, and innovative small businesses rely on the principal that all content will be treated equally. And net neutrality helps ensure that even the smallest voices and businesses can be heard and thrive.

It’s clear that net neutrality has been critical to both our economy and our democracy, and that is why we must fight to restore it.

Net neutrality has been essential to the growth of women-owned, innovative businesses, allowing them the opportunity to compete with more established brands and content.

Net neutrality has also helped the fight for progress in our nation, ensuring that people can easily access diverse voices. Movements like the National Women’s March in 2017 originated from and were organized by an online movement — leading to civic participation not just in America but around the world.

It’s clear that net neutrality has been critical to both our economy and our democracy, and that is why we must fight to restore it.

When Ajit Pai led the vote to remove these protections, he opened the door to allowing big cable companies and internet service providers to sell faster speeds to the highest bidder, and to discriminate against content and content providers by making certain web pages, applications or videos load faster or slower than others. Under these rules, internet service providers would be allowed to force businesses and people to “pay-to-play” online.

While larger, well-established companies would likely be able to compete without net neutrality protections in place, startups and entrepreneurs across the nation might not be able to afford such fees, causing instability and limiting the reach of their new businesses.

In New Hampshire, small businesses are the backbone of our economy, creating good jobs and stimulating economic growth. But this decision could limit the ability of that next great business to get off of the ground.

A Manchester small business owner recently wrote to my office saying, “I believe that net neutrality should stay in effect as it allows every business to be on the same footing…” and that under this proposal, “If you are leveraging the internet to boost your business, it will affect it dramatically.”

That business owner is not alone.

Hundreds of people have called into my office to voice their support for net neutrality.

That’s why we are fighting back. I joined my colleagues in supporting a bipartisan resolution to overturn the FCC’s rule to ensure that our people and businesses have a free and open internet. To pass, the resolution needs a simple majority of 51 votes. We currently have 50 supporters, including all Democrats and a Republican senator.

We just need one more Republican to join us in helping restore net neutrality.

Given how critical net neutrality is to the lives of countless Granite Staters and Americans — and to the strength of our economy — we cannot stop fighting to overturn this harmful and regressive rule and we must keep up the pressure to restore these critical protections. I urge you to speak out and join us in fighting to restore a free and open internet.