AFT’s Weingarten on Federal Communications Commission’s Net Neutrality Changes

WASHINGTON—AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement condemning the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed dismantling of net neutrality rules:

“The principles behind net neutrality are fairness and access—the idea that every American should have equal access to internet resources, regardless of cost or ownership. By proposing to end net neutrality, the Trump administration has once again—as with taxes, education and healthcare—betrayed the interests of the many to serve the wealthy few. Donald Trump campaigned as a populist but is governing as an elitist, and the decision on net neutrality epitomizes his deceit.

“Under the FCC’s proposed changes, students and educators searching for neutral information will be directed to biased corporate websites. Students will be priced out of fast access. High-quality, free teaching resources like Share My Lesson will be pushed aside in favor of for-profit sites. Nurses’ ability to rely on robust broadband for medical imaging and other technologies to treat patients will be subject to the whim of service providers. Graduate employees and adjunct professors will have their research kneecapped. And public employees will be consigned to the internet “slow lane” forever.

“No one asked for this change—besides the major telecommunications companies. Once again, President Trump has attacked the public interest to pad corporations’ bottom lines and pander to those least in need of his largess.”