14 DAY TRIAL // Even before the FCC had a new boss, it was well known that things were going to change. The fact that we've gone back in time a couple of years, however, wasn't exactly how most believed things would go.
The American Civil Liberties Union, alongside the Electronic Frontier Foundation and over 170 other groups have sent a letter to Ajit Pai, FCC's new chairman, asking him to maintain the 2015 net neutrality order.
Despite the fact that many thought the net neutrality battle had been won, it seems that things are a bit different. These organizations are asking the FCC to continue treating Internet traffic equally, which is vital to making the Internet an engine of opportunity, in order to preserve competition and free speech for smaller ISPs.
"We urge you and your colleagues to oppose legislation and regulatory actions that would threaten net neutrality and roll back the important protections put in place by the FCC in 2015 and to continue to enforce the Open Internet Order as it stands,” reads the letter the groups sent to the FCC.
A plea before Senate hearing
The letter was sent a day before the Senate Commerce Committee has its first oversight hearing of the FCC with Pai running it. Given how many changes Pai has already implemented, including leaving ISPs off the hook for selling user data to whomever they please, the discussions may be a bit heated.
Pai, who used to be an FCC board member even before being named chief, believes using Title II to push for net neutrality was a mistake. This is something he's said multiple times over the years as he opposed his predecessor's decision.
It seems that the fight for net neutrality is back on again, but this time, at least, groups fighting for it know what do to and are better organized.