Net neutrality was officially ended in the United States in 2018 by a decision made by the FCC. However, new information has surfaced claiming that Internet Service Providers funded fake comments online in support of the repeal.

For those who don't know net neutrality is the principle stating that internet service provides must support all connections equally. This means that internet companies are not able to charge differently for access to certain websites or block connections to websites that they don't want their customers visiting. Net neutrality rules in the United States were removed just three years after their introduction by FCC head Ajit Pai. While some states, like California, put their own net neutrality laws in place afterward, the majority of the country has had no net neutrality protections ever since.

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Now, New York's attorney general has said that internet service providers funded false comments in support of the repeal back in 2017. The companies worked through a group called Broadband for America and ended up spending a total of approximately $4.2 million on the project. The investigation found that the effort led to around nine million comments to the agency as well as letters to Congress in support of repealing net neutrality, all of which were signed by people who never agreed to have their identity used in such ways. The discovery has rather large implications for the net neutrality repeal, even if it is not as exciting as recent attacks on the internet.

Members of Broadband for America include some of the largest internet providers in the country, including AT&T, Comcast, and Charter among a variety of trade groups as well. While the repeal was being discussed, supporters frequently referenced the level of support the movement was getting, but now it seems that that support wasn't real, to begin with. However, the attorney general clarifies that the investigation did not find any evidence to suggest that Broadband for America was aware of the fraud, but she does assert that there were many red flags that the group simply ignored for months on end after the campaign started. The news comes after internet usage has received a massive spike over the span of the coronavirus pandemic.

The investigation did lead to three of the companies hired by Broadband for America agreeing to pay over $4 million in penalties, but it is unclear whether or not this investigation will have any impact on net neutrality in the United States. While President Joe Biden has announced his plans to bring broadband internet to all Americans, there is no indication that net neutrality regulations will be put back in place as of yet. Hopefully, there will be more news on the matter sooner rather than later.

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Source: The New York Times