Activists, Dems plan net neutrality rally outside FCC

Activists are planning a protest outside the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday as the agency is expected to vote to repeal its landmark net neutrality rules.

The rally will feature speakers like Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Symone Sanders, a former spokeswoman for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign. The event will be hosted by a coalition of consumer groups called the Voices for Internet Freedom.

{mosads}The FCC is expected to vote along party lines on Thursday to scrap the regulations preventing companies like Comcast and Verizon from restricting access to content or prioritizing some websites over others.

Net neutrality supporters have been making a last-ditch drive to try to save the rules from repeal, though the GOP-controlled Congress has shown little interest in intervening.

If passed, the proposal will get rid of the FCC’s restrictions on internet service providers and give the Federal Trade Commission jurisdiction to police the industry for unfair or deceptive practices — an approach that most Republicans believe will lead to a lighter regulatory touch, while supporters of the FCC rules say that it won’t be enough to prevent broadband companies from abusing their powers.