Senator Doesn't Buy FCC Justification for Killing Net Neutrality

Senator Doesn't Buy FCC Justification for Killing Net Neutrality

Senator Edward Markey this week questioned FCC boss Ajit Pai's justifications for killing popular net neutrality rules in a hearing in Washington this week. We've noted repeatedly that while large ISPs claim net neutrality killed broadband investment, objective analysis repeatedly finds that to be a lie. That's not just based on publicly-available SEC filings and earnings reports, but the industry's own repeated comments to investors and analysts.

But that doesn't stop AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Charter (and the ocean of politicians, think tankers, consultants and other PR vessels they employ to make this misleading argument in the media on a daily basis) from making the claim anyway.

And while Pai once again this week breathlessly proclaimed that net neutrality put a damper on network investment, Markey simply wasn't having it.

"Publicly traded companies are required by law to provide investors accurate financial information, including reporting any risks or financial burdens," Markey said. "However, I have found no publicly traded ISP that has reported to its investors by law that Title II has negatively impacted investment in their networks. Many, in fact, have increased deployment and investment."

But Pai's NPRM for his plan to kill net neutrality proceeds as if this investment reduction is fact, which Wyden repeatedly contested. He also questioned if there's any substantive evidence to justifying repealing the popular protections at all.

"I feel that the evidence [to repeal the rules] right now is not there and if it was, the broadband companies themselves would have in fact been providing that evidence to their investors in their filings, and they have not done so," Wyden said. "Anecdotal evidence is not evidence. There is no factual basis for that change."

Despite more than 10.5 million comments on Pai's plan to kill net neutrality protections (the majority in opposition to the plan), Pai is expected to ignore the public and push for a final vote to kill the rules later this year.