Federal Government Information Technology

Bots or Not, FCC Refuses to Delay Net Neutrality Vote

Nextgov: The Federal Communications Commission will move forward with a controversial vote to deregulate the internet despite lawmakers urging the agency hold off amid claims that millions of public comments regarding the policy change came from online bots, an agency spokesperson confirmed.

In a letter sent Monday, Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and 27 Senate Democrats called on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to reschedule the vote on his proposal to dismantle the Obama-era regulations that protect net neutrality, citing concerns that the public response database is “replete with fake or fraudulent comments.”

“We believe that your proposed action may be based on an incomplete understanding of the public record in this proceeding,” lawmakers wrote. They requested the FCC investigate claims that bots were responsible for potentially submitting hundreds of thousands of remarks during the public comment period.

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