Get All Access for $5/mo

The Tech Community Voices Its Support for Net Neutrality More than 800 companies and venture firms signed their names to an open letter sent to the head of the FCC.

By Nina Zipkin

Bloomberg | Getty Images
Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on Wednesday proposed a reversal of existing net neutrality rules that were instituted in 2015. The rules reclassified broadband internet service providers as public utilities in an effort to create a more open internet, not weighted to those entities that could pay more to receive faster service.

Led by Engine, Techstars and Y Combinator, more than 800 members of the tech community, including Chartbeat, Etsy, Medium and Matter Ventures, signed their names to an open letter protesting the move.

Read the full letter below.

Related: FCC Chairman Pledges to Undo Net Neutrality Rules

The Honorable Ajit Pai
Chairman Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street SW
Washington, DC 20554

Chairman Pai:

As a group of startups, entrepreneurs, investors, and the organizations who support them from all 50 states, we were excited to hear about your recent regional tour with startups and innovators and learn about your plans to drive better, faster broadband deployment across the U.S.

During your tour, you noted that "High-speed Internet access, or broadband, is giving rise to what I have called the democratization of entrepreneurship. With a powerful plan and a digital connection, you can raise capital, start a business, immediately reach a worldwide customer base, and disrupt an entire industry." We couldn't agree more. Each of our businesses is an example of the sort of innovation and investment that meaningful broadband access has fueled.

But the success of America's startup ecosystem depends on more than improved broadband speeds. We also depend on an open Internet -- including enforceable net neutrality rules that ensure big cable companies can't discriminate against people like us. We're deeply concerned with your intention to undo the existing legal framework.

Without net neutrality, the incumbents who provide access to the Internet would be able to pick winners or losers in the market. They could impede traffic from our services in order to favor their own services or established competitors. Or they could impose new tolls on us, inhibiting consumer choice. Those actions directly impede an entrepreneur's ability to "start a business, immediately reach a worldwide customer base, and disrupt an entire industry." Our companies should be able to compete with incumbents on the quality of our products and services, not our capacity to pay tolls to Internet access providers.

Fortunately, in 2015 the Federal Communications Commission put in place light touch net neutrality rules that not only prohibit certain harmful practices, but also allow the Commission to develop and enforce rules to address new forms of discrimination. We are concerned by reports that you would replace this system with a set of minimum voluntary commitments, which would give a green light for Internet access providers to discriminate in unforeseen ways.

Rather than dismantling regulations that allow the startup ecosystem to thrive, we urge you to focus instead on policies that would promote a stronger Internet for everyone. We applaud efforts to remove unnecessary barriers to construction of new networks, which would foster increased competition and faster, more affordable, open Internet access. We appreciate your consideration and stand at the ready to provide insights that support this work.

Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

This 20-Year-Old Student Started a Side Hustle With $400 — and It Earned $150,000 Over the Summer

Jacob Shaidle launched his barbecue cleaning business Shaidle Cleaning in 2021 when he was just 15.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Meta Says Its New Movie Gen AI Is an Industry First — But a Demo Shows It Isn't Perfect

Movie Gen is too expensive to be released to the public yet, according to Meta's chief product officer.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Is Now the World's Second Richest Person, Behind Elon Musk

Meta's CEO jumped ahead of Jeff Bezos in Bloomberg's rankings this week.

Marketing

Ad Fatigue is Real — Why Trust and Influencers Are Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity Marketing

With the rapid evolution of cyber threats, businesses are becoming increasingly careful when choosing cybersecurity providers. Therefore, cybersecurity companies must center their marketing strategies around trust, not ads.