NAM Statement on D.C. Circuit Ruling in Mozilla Corp. v. FCC
“Manufacturers Support an Open Internet, as Does Today’s FCC”
Washington, D.C. – National Association of Manufacturers Senior Vice President and General Counsel Linda Kelly issued the following statement on today’s D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Mozilla Corp. v. FCC:
Overall, today’s decision is a welcome development for manufacturers and those who depend on a free and open internet. In the 21st century, the internet should not be regulated by laws designed in the 1930s for the era of rotary telephones. The FCC was wrong to impose heavy-handed ‘net neutrality’ rules in 2015, and manufacturers have opposed misguided lawsuits that want to take us backward and reimpose those stifling regulations.
Manufacturers support a free and open internet, as does today’s FCC. More appeals and legal wrangling over the issue will only harm our competitiveness and economic growth, and the Manufacturers’ Center for Legal Action will keep fighting in the courts as long as it takes. Ultimately, the clearest way to resolve this issue is for Congress to pass basic guidelines that promote investment, foster innovation and establish a truly open internet.
Background
The NAM filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit supporting the FCC’s 2017 repeal of the prior net neutrality rule. Last year, a group of plaintiffs sued alleging the FCC unlawfully overturned the 2015 rule by mischaracterizing how internet access works. Manufacturers are the beneficiaries of a global broadband infrastructure, which has transformed the way they operate, providing numerous opportunities to create and market innovative products and services. The NAM’s brief explains that regulating broadband providers as common carriers is unwise, and the FCC’s 2017 change promotes investment that is critical to developing the next generation of technologies.
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The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12.8 million men and women, contributes $2.38 trillion to the U.S. economy annually, has the largest economic multiplier of any major sector and accounts for more than three-quarters of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the Manufacturers or to follow us on Shopfloor, Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.