In Support of Maryland Net Neutrality Act

Chairman Davis, Vice Chair Dumais, members of the Committee, my name is Gigi Sohn and I am a Distinguished Fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law and Policy and a Senior Fellow with the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society. I have been a public interest advocate for open, affordable and accessible communications networks for over 30 years. I was Counselor to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler from 2013-2016, and during that time, I helped the FCC adopt the 2015 Open Internet Order, which included the strongest ever network neutrality rules. The FCC voted to adopt the Order 5 years ago today. It was unquestionably the proudest moment of my career. Unfortunately, less than three years later, the Trump FCC repealed the 2015 Open Internet Order, leaving all Americans unprotected from anti-consumer and anticompetitive practices of broadband Internet access service (BIAS) providers. And that is why we are here today. House Bill 957 would reinstate the 2015 Open Internet Order and provide net neutrality protections to anyone who uses the Internet in Maryland. I support the bill and urge this Committee and the House of Delegates to do pass it without delay.