Last Thursday, Vimeo sued the FCC over its order repealing the 2015 net neutrality rules, joining 22 states and the District of Columbia, who also filed suit. Our lawsuit challenges the validity of the repeal order based upon its flimsy legal reasoning and the flawed rulemaking process from which it emerged.
Among other things:
- The repeal order rewrites the telecommunications laws by equating ISPs with websites like Vimeo merely because ISPs provide consumers the ability to access third party websites.
- The FCC claims to have no authority to regulate ISPs, yet it purports to block states from enacting their own net neutrality rules.
- The FCC failed to investigate likely false ‘consumer’ comments submitted in support of repeal and refused to allow commentators access to the FCC’s merger review records concerning ISP incentives to disfavor the traffic of their competitors.
At Vimeo, we empower video creators to tell exceptional stories, and connect with their audiences and communities. As such, we have consistently advocated for strong net neutrality rules to protect creativity, innovation, and free speech on the Internet because we know that our value as a video platform depends upon our ability to help our creators succeed. We can’t risk our creators’ HD and 4K videos being slowed down by ISPs, who might decide to favor their own content or charge for the ‘service’ of delivering content they’ve already promised to deliver.
Today, we all have the chance to protect net neutrality. Join us in participating in a Day of Action to find a 51st senator to support efforts to reverse the FCC’s repeal. With the FCC’s final order now published, Congress has 60 legislative days to press undo. The Congressional review effort currently has 50 votes in the Senate and therefore needs only one more to pass. It’s a small step in a bigger fight, but an essential one nonetheless. We invite you to tell your senators to get on board (or thank them if they’ve already signed on) by tweeting or calling them.
