Senator Hassan Delivers Floor Speech Highlighting Importance of Net Neutrality

Senator Hassan Delivers Floor Speech Highlighting Importance of Net Neutrality

Speech Emphasizes Benefits of Net Neutrality to Granite State Entrepreneurs, Small Businesses, and Underrepresented Populations

Click here for video of Senator Hassan's speech.

WASHINGTON - Today, Senator Maggie Hassan delivered remarks on the Senate floor, highlighting the importance of net neutrality to promoting innovation, supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses, and encouraging economic growth in New Hampshire and across the nation. The Senator also underlined the critical role of net neutrality in protecting consumers from unfair practices.

Senator Hassan delivered the speech in light of a vote the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will take tomorrow on a notice of proposed rulemaking, which begins the unravelling of common-sense consumer protections that enhance the online experience for Internet users.

Net neutrality is the principle that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should provide equal access to all applications, content, platforms, and websites, and cannot discriminate against content or content providers by making certain web page, applications, or videos load faster or slower than others. The FCC adopted rules to provide a level playing field and protect against content discrimination, and these rules went into effect in June of 2015.

Key Quotes from Senator Hassan's speech:

• "In giving entrepreneurs a level playing field to turn an idea into a thriving business that reaches a global audience, net neutrality helps promote innovation and boost economic growth."
• "Net neutrality isn't just great for startups and entrepreneurs, it has also created a platform for traditionally underrepresented voices - including women and minorities - to be heard - and as importantly, to add to our economic strength."
• "The National Women's March in January brought together hundreds of thousands of people to raise their voices and organize in marches across the country - and around the world - largely through online activism."
• "I will continue fighting to ensure that our regulatory environment is one that spurs innovation, fosters economic growth, supports our small businesses, and allows the next young person with a big idea to prosper."

Click here for video or see below for full text as prepared for delivery:

M. President, I rise today in opposition to the Federal Communications Commission's proposal to undermine critical net neutrality rules, which would change the Internet as we know it today.

Tomorrow, the FCC will vote on a notice of proposed rulemaking, which begins the unravelling of common-sense consumer protections that enhance our online experience.

Net neutrality is a concept that supports the idea that Internet Service Providers must provide equal access to applications and to content online. It means Internet Service Providers should not be able to discriminate against content and content providers by making certain web pages, applications, or videos load faster or slower than others.

Net neutrality is integral to promoting innovation, supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses, and encouraging economic growth in my home state of New Hampshire and across the entire nation.

In March, Washington Republicans - with the support of the Trump Administration - voted to take away critical online privacy protections, giving ISPs the green light to collect and use consumers' online data without their consent.

So it's no surprise that what corporate ISPs want next is to remove baseline protections that allow even the softest voice to be heard or the smallest of businesses to thrive against larger competitors.

I have heard time and again from Granite Staters calling and writing to my office that we must fight to protect the net neutrality rules that create an even playing field and protect consumers from unfair practices.

At the request of big cable companies and Internet Service Providers, the Republican controlled FCC, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, is taking aim at common-sense consumer protections that could change the free and open Internet as we know it.

Chairman Pai has claimed that since net neutrality rules went into effect two years ago, investment in U.S. broadband companies has dropped to historically low levels.

But quite the opposite has occurred.

Since the rules went into effect, AT&T's share price has gone up more than 20 percent.

Comcast's has increased 26 percent. And several ISPs have reassured investors that net neutrality would have no impact on their broadband investments.

So clearly this is just another "gimme" to big cable and industry stakeholders who want to put profits ahead of customer service and consumer protections.

In New Hampshire, innovative small businesses are the backbone of our economy, creating good jobs and stimulating economic growth.

And net neutrality has been integral to their success.

More than 1,000 startups, innovators, investors, and entrepreneurial support organizations from across the country - including Digital Muse from New Hampshire - sent a letter to Chairman Pai urging him to protect net neutrality rules.

I plan to fight to do just that.

In giving entrepreneurs a level playing field to turn an idea into a thriving business that reaches a global audience, net neutrality helps promote innovation and boost economic growth.

By dismantling net neutrality rules, Internet Service Providers would be allowed to force small businesses to "pay-to-play" online, causing instability for startups and entrepreneurs across the nation who might not be able to afford such fees.

Companies like Digital Muse should be able to compete based on the quality of their goods and services, not on their ability to pay tolls to Internet Service Providers.

M. President, net neutrality isn't just great for startups and entrepreneurs, it has also created a platform for traditionally underrepresented voices - including women and minorities - to be heard - and as importantly, to add to our economic strength.

Last week, my friend Senator Cantwell and I, sent a letter - with several of our colleagues - to Chairman Pai, highlighting the importance of net neutrality to women and girls across the country.

An open Internet serves as a platform to elevate voices that are underrepresented or marginalized in traditional media, an experience many women in the field know all too well.

When turned away from traditional media outlets, women can turn to the Internet as an autonomous platform to tell their stories, in their own voices, thanks to the vast array of online media platforms enabled by net neutrality.

Between 2007 and 2016, while the total number of business firms in America increased by 9 percent, the total number of women-owned firms increased by 45 percent - a rate five times the national average.

This growth in women-owned businesses mirrors the emergence of the free and open Internet as a platform for economic growth.

Net neutrality has been essential to the growth of women-owned, innovative businesses, ensuring them the opportunity to compete with more established brands and content.

In addition to empowering women economically, an open Internet has the ability to empower all citizens civically.

The National Women's March in January brought together hundreds of thousands of people to raise their voices and organize in marches across the country - and around the world - largely through online activism.

The Women's March, and the many other marches that have followed since January, demonstrate how an open Internet can serve as a powerful mechanism for civic engagement and strengthening communities.

M. President, the open and free Internet is too powerful of a tool for civic engagement and social and economic mobility - especially for our underrepresented populations - to take away.

Strong net neutrality rules are absolutely essential.

They protect against content discrimination, they prevent Internet toll lanes, they allow the FCC adequate room for oversight, and they require reasonable transparency from Internet Serve Providers.

Not to mention, the stability that net neutrality provides our economy, entrepreneurs, and innovative small businesses that are integral to New Hampshire's & America's economic success.

I will continue fighting to ensure that our regulatory environment is one that spurs innovation, fosters economic growth, supports our small businesses, and allows the next young person with a big idea to prosper.

I strongly oppose rule changes that would undermine net neutrality, and I hope the FCC listens throughout the comment period to concerns from Granite Staters and Americans who feel the same.

Thank you, M. President. I yield the floor.

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