Demand Progress

Washington, DC — On Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit struck down Net Neutrality rules that prevented internet service providers from degrading or blocking service to certain websites. The rules—which were originally enacted under the Obama administration, then repealed under the first Trump administration and then reinstated by the Biden administration—were fiercely opposed by Big Telecom giants like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon. For years, Demand Progress has been a leader in the fight for an open internet, including just this last year helping lead grassroots efforts that have driven more than 100,000 people to take action.

The following is a statement from Demand Progress Senior Campaigner Joey DeFrancesco:

“Americans want an open and free internet, while Big Telecom and the Trump administration want to gate off the internet for the highest bidder, and the courts just sided with them. This ruling is a blatant giveaway to Big Telecom and an ominous sign that the courts and the Trump administration are gearing up to sign away not just the internet, but also anything else they can to corporate interests.”