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Maine's AG Joins 16 Counterparts In Calling For Delay In Net Neutrality Vote

A.J. Higgins
/
Maine Public/file
Maine Attorney General Janet Mills at a press event Feb. 4, 2015.

Maine Attorney General Janet Mills is joining 16 other attorneys general in asking the Federal Communications Commission to put off voting to scrap net neutrality rules. 

Those are the rules, in place since 2015, that prevent Internet service providers from, for instance, demanding higher payments to move data more quickly over their networks.

Mills says she and others want the vote delayed because millions of fake comments were submitted to the commission under identities that were stolen.

"This is, I think, an unprecedented action on the part of somebody to try and skew the commentary in the public records in favor of doing away with the net neutrality rule."

Mills says she and other attorneys general believe the Trump administration needs to get to the bottom of this. "Now, if this is being done in this context, it may well be done in other contexts too.  What about the rules on contraception?  What about the rules on environmental protection?"

Mills says other federal agencies should also put off making final decisions on rules until authorities can figure out how to prevent identity thieves from manipulating public comments.

The net-neutrality rules say cable companies, and other companies that connect people to the Internet, must provide equal access to their networks.  Mills says if the FCC does decide to take its net neutrality vote today, she and other attorneys general will look at their options for challenging that decision.