On August 1, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that Comcast’s interference with its customers Internet traffic violated the Commission’s policies and was not reasonable network management. Today, the Commission released an Opinion and Order detailing its analysis and commanding Comcast to cease its discriminatory practices.
The following statement is attributed to Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:
“With today’s Order, the FCC acted to protect the rights of Internet users and set the precedent that unreasonable, discriminatory behavior like Comcast’s will not be tolerated. It agreed with public interest advocates and technical experts that Comcast’s conduct violated FCC principles and was not reasonable network management.
“The Commission also recognized that Comcast’s practices impeded consumers from running the applications and accessing the lawful content of their choice, and that its failure to disclose these practices compounded the harm. It likened Comcast’s actions to opening its customers’ mail and choosing whether or not to deliver it based on its contents.
“We commend the Commission for stepping in to preserve the public interest and addressing the substantial threat posed by Comcast’s conduct to the open character of the Internet.
“We also reiterate our call for a fifth FCC Internet principle: preserving non-discrimination. While the Commission’s order sets a strong precedent, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) still interfere with customers’ traffic. The Commission and the public must keep a watchful eye on ISPs to ensure that these practices cease and that other discriminatory practices do not take their place.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.