Ron hears Oregonians' support for net neutrality

by Communications Office

With the approach of the public comment deadline on the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality proposal, Ron devoted much of the recent congressional recess to talking with Oregonians about the issue’s importance to a free and open Internet.

“Net neutrality says after you pay your internet access fee, you get to go where you want, when you want, how you want,” Ron said at a City Club of Portland forum co-sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Oregon. “That is the essence of the internet … and that’s what we want to keep.”

“It is the principal foundation that has been the spark behind so much innovation and commerce on the Internet,” the senator said at the forum moderated by Portland net neutrality pioneer David Olson. “The bottom line is we cannot let any powerful special interest extinguish that spark.”

Ron also joined Portland Commissioner Dan Saltzman at a separate City Hall news conference to discuss Saltzman’s resolution putting the City Council on record opposing any reversal of net neutrality.

The resolution is expected to come before the City Council on July 12 – a nationwide Day of Action on net neutrality.

Ron also heard similar concerns about the FCC proposal to upend net neutrality at a roundtable he held in Lane County with software executives, librarians, free speech advocates and others.