FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: media@dcaclu.org

Says Companies Cannot Be Trusted to Protect Consumers' Freedom of Speech

Washington, DC – The American Civil Liberties Union today called on Congress to hold hearings to explore recent anti-consumer actions taken by several Internet service providers that infringed on users' freedom of speech and access to lawful information. The ACLU believes Congress must take action to restore the network neutrality protections that were in place before 2005 and ensure the Internet remains vibrant, innovative and free of discrimination.

The following can be attributed to Director of the Washington Legislative Office Caroline Fredrickson:

"The recent revelations regarding actions taken by Verizon and AT&T demonstrate what advocates for network neutrality have been saying all along: Internet service providers cannot be trusted to protect consumers' access to information or their freedom of speech. These very same companies are spending millions of dollars to lobby Congress for the right to block our access to content on the Internet. We now see where that will lead us. Clearly, without the vigorous net neutrality protections that were in place before 2005, a few corporate conglomerates will control everything we can say or do on the Internet. Net neutrality is needed, and it is needed now."