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Consumer Groups Decry FCC's Net Neutrality Proposal

By Jenna Greene
May 02, 2014

Consumer advocates reacted with dismay to reports that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to allow Internet service providers to charge companies a toll for faster access, while FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler defended the proposed rules as consistent with the underlying goals of net neutrality.

“This approach is almost certain to be rejected by the courts,” said Free Press'president Craig Aaron in a written statement. “This is not net neutrality. It's an insult to those who care about preserving the open Internet to pretend otherwise.”

Wheeler, in a blog post on April 24, stressed that any tolls must be “commercially reasonable” and called allegations that new rules will result in “anti-competitive” price increases for consumers unfounded. “That is exactly what the 'commercially unreasonable' test will protect against: harm to competition and consumers stemming from abusive market activity,” he wrote. See, “Setting the Record Straight on the FCC's Open Internet Rules,” FCC.gov.

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