Washington D.C., Dec 14, 2017 / 16:00 pm
On Thursday, the Federal Communication Commission voted to repeal net neutrality regulations, which the U.S. bishops have called essential to fair use of the internet by for nonprofits and individuals.
"Without open internet principles which prohibit paid prioritization, we might be forced to pay fees to ensure that our high-bandwidth content receives fair treatment on the internet," said Bishop Christopher Coyne, Chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Communications.
"Non-profit communities, both religious and secular, cannot afford to pay to compete with profitable commercialized content."
The bishop's statement was released on Nov. 28, after the FCC announced a proposal to repeal the protections, which were created in 2015. The rule was officially repealed on Dec. 14.