John Oliver Tackles Net Neutrality (Again)

Comedian John Oliver is once again tackling net neutrality, urging viewers of his HBO show Last Calendar week Tonight to flood the FCC with comments almost the expected demise of its open internet society.

You might retrieve that a similar plea in 2022—which chosen on viewers to support rules that ultimately passed in early 2022—crashed the FCC'due south website. At present, Trump-appointed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is moving to roll back those rules, and Oliver is asking fans to mountain a similar campaign.

To help people get to the correct section of the FCC'south website, Last Week Tonight purchased the URL gofccyourself.com, which redirects to the public comments department of the net neutrality order (17-108). There, click "Express+" on the correct, where you can post your thoughts. As was the case last time, the site is experiencing a few hiccups, so if it doesn't load right abroad, effort again.

Though Pai has released the text of his proposal, the FCC has not notwithstanding voted on it. That'southward scheduled to happen at its May 18 open meeting, after which point the formal commenting menses begins. After the agency has nerveless comments, it will finalize its proposal and hold a final vote later this yr.

Oliver, meanwhile, went after Pai'southward reasoning for axing the FCC'due south rules. He acknowledged that the topic tin be a rather snoozy one, likening the fight over Title I vs. Title II to "the equivalent of chasing an ambien with a shot of chloroform." Merely, he argued, letting ISPs police themselves is not exactly a brilliant thought.

Information technology'southward basically like "OJ Simpson request why you won't let him hold any of your samurai swords," Oliver quipped.

Pai has argued that the FCC's rules prompted ISPs to subtract investment in their networks over the last 2 years. But Oliver pointed to 2022 comments from Verizon exec Fran Shammo in which he said it "does not influence the way we invest." Verizon, all the same, is perfectly happy to allow Pai to dismantle the rules.

About Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe has led PCMag'southward news coverage for more than 10 years, editing and writing stories almost the innovations that take shaped the last decade and the companies backside them. She also oversees the site's how-to coverage. Before joining PCMag.com, Chloe was a reporter covering tech policy on Capitol Hill for The National Periodical's Technology Daily and financial IT for Incisive Media in NYC. She'southward held internships at NBC'due south Run into the Printing, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Whorl Phone call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from American University in Washington, D.C.