Net Neutrality

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, it is hard to believe that this week marks 1 year since the Trump administration and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Pai, chose to reverse the Commission's stance on net neutrality. What is net neutrality? The principles are simple. Internet service providers should be required to treat all internet content and traffic equally. They should not be able to block access to websites, to reduce the speeds at which consumers browse the internet, or charge consumers more based on the types of websites they are visiting.

The Trump administration believes that companies should be able to freely block or slow down consumers' access to the internet in the interest of higher profits. My Democratic colleagues and I believe that all content should be treated equally, and corporate financial interests should not be more important than protecting American consumers.

The fact is that most Americans agree with us. The decision to rollback net neutrality was unpopular a year ago, and it remains unpopular today. In March of 2019, a poll conducted by tech research firm, Comparitech, found that four in five Americans support net neutrality.

Make no mistake, at times, it seems like we are living in one of the most partisan times in our Nation's history, but on the topic of net neutrality, 86 percent of Democrats, 79 percent of Independents, and 77 percent of Republicans support protecting a free and open internet for American consumers.

Now more than ever, constituents are engaging with the issues of the day and are willing to let their elected officials know their views on what is important to them. I can tell you that, of the physical mail and emails my office receives, net neutrality has been one of the most important issues to Illinoisans. Since January 20, 2017, my office has received almost 200,000 letters on the topic of net neutrality, and by a mile, constituents are in support of the principles of net neutrality and want to reverse the action taken by the FCC.

I have got news for you: the Members of the House have heard their constituents loud and clear. Two months ago, the House passed the Save the Internet Act that would reaffirm the government's commitment to net neutrality and prevent major corporations from slowing down, blocking access to, or charging more for certain websites. When this bill arrived in the Senate, what have we chosen to do? A measure containing principles that 77 percent of Republicans support and received bipartisan support last Congress? Not a thing. Leader McConnell and Republicans have instead proceeded to turn the Senate into a legislative graveyard. They have prioritized doling out lifetime appointments to our Federal courts while refusing to take action on many of our Nation's pressing most issues, including demonstrating a commitment to upholding a free and open internet.

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