View a pdf of this press release here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Brittany-Rae Gregory
brittany-rae@nextcenturycities.org

Next Century Cities Issues a Statement

Opposing NTIA’S Petition for a Section 230 Rulemaking &

Urges the FCC to Stay Focused on Expanding Broadband Access

Washington D.C. (September 3, 2020) – Next Century Cities’ Ryan Johnston issued the following statement in opposition to the petition filed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) requesting that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) open a rulemaking proceeding to clarify the scope of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. NTIA’s petition was born of a May 28th Executive Order which invoked the FCC to propose online censorship regulations.

“The Commission decided that it had no interest in regulating the internet years ago and should not deviate from its core mandate to bring connectivity within reach for everyone across the nation. The current global health crisis has shown that connectivity is essential. The work necessary to get every American online is urgent. This is not the time for the Commission to start playing the role of speech police at the behest of the executive branch, especially when it means introducing unconstitutional regulation or oversight.”

Ryan Johnston serves as Policy Counsel and manages federal policy issues at Next Century Cities. Review comments submitted to the FCC here. 

###

Next Century Cities is a non-profit organization of over 200 communities, founded to support communities and their elected leaders. Our membership includes mayors and other officials who are working to ensure that all have access to fast, affordable, and reliable internet access. For more information, visit www.nextcenturycities.org .