Santa Clara County Goes to Court to Fight Repeal of Net Neutrality
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN JOSE – Today, the County of Santa Clara filed a petition for review in federal court challenging the Trump Administration’s unlawful repeal of net neutrality protections. Filed by the Office of the County Counsel with assistance from Stanford Law School’s Juelsgaard Intellectual Property and Innovation Clinic, the petition seeks to preserve fair and open access to the internet.
“Especially here in Silicon Valley, the internet is a driving force behind our economy,” said Board of Supervisors President Joe Simitian. “It creates jobs, fosters innovation, and connects us to each other, even across the globe. An open internet is key to the high-tech world we’ve built, and it’s up to us to help protect it.”
Net Neutrality is the principle that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should not favor or block access to content online. Without strong Net Neutrality protections, ISPs would be able to black, slow down or speed up access to certain information online, allowing big companies to buy an advantage over competitors through use of a data “fast lane.”
In 2015 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) put new protections in place to prevent blocking, throttling (slowing connection speeds), and paid-prioritization of information online.
In August of 2017, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution, authored by Simitian, supporting the protection of Net Neutrality. The resolution called Net Neutrality “necessary for the prosperity of the Santa Clara County local economy,” and emphasized the importance of defending free access to the internet.
When the FCC voted to roll back open-internet protections in December of 2017, the County announced its plan to file a lawsuit challenging the decision.
“The FCC’s decision to repeal the net neutrality rules harms start-ups, small companies and other businesses that rely on a level playing field to compete,” said Simitian. “We believe that the depth of your ideas should outweigh the depth of your pockets.”
“The FCC’s repeal of the net neutrality rules is unlawful and threatens the continued existence of the free and open Internet,” said Santa Clara County Counsel James R. Williams. “The County provides many critical services to its residents through the Internet, and we will fight to ensure that the FCC’s unlawful actions do not undermine access to these and other vital online resources.”
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