AT&T Calls for Congress to Pass Net Neutrality Law

AT&T is asking Congress to pass a federal net neutrality law to settle the internet freedom debate.

The telecommunications company is posting a full-page ad in newspapers around the U.S. on Wednesday, CNN Money reported Tuesday night.

“It is time for Congress to end the debate once and for all, by writing new laws that govern the internet and protect consumers,” AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson wrote in the ad, according to CNN.

Also Read: Netflix Comes Out in Support for Net Neutrality, Tells FCC 'We Will See You in Court'

Stephenson has asked Congress to establish an “Internet Bill of Rights,” guaranteeing net neutrality, an open internet, and privacy protection for customers.

“Because the internet is so critical to everyone, it’s understandably confusing and a bit concerning when you hear the rules have recently changed, yet again. Legislation would … provide consistent rules of the road,” he continued.

“We don’t block websites. We don’t censor online content. And we don’t throttle, discriminate, or degrade network performance based on content. Period,” Stephenson said of his company’s policy.

Also Read: Jimmy Kimmel Blasts 'Jackhole' Ajit Pai and FCC for Repealing Net Neutrality (Video)

Spearheaded by Chairman Ajit Pai, a former Verizon attorney, the FCC’s “Restoring Internet Freedom” proposal passed along party lines last December, undoing Obama-era regulations that barred internet service providers from speeding up or slowing down access to certain websites. Those regulations are known by the nickname net neutrality.

Also Read: Hollywood Wants to Press Delete Button on Net Neutrality Repeal: 'Nobody Is Asking for It'

A number of Hollywood stars came out against Pai’s efforts to dismantle the Obama rules, including Chris Evans, Common, Mark Ruffalo and George Takei.

Earlier this month, Netflix took a stand against the ruling, tweeting: “In 2018, the internet is united in defense of #NetNeutrality. For the FCC, we will see you in court.”

The tweet was in response to the Internet Association’s announcement it would “intervene in judicial action to preserve net neutrality protections.”

Netflix in February: What's Coming and What to Watch Before It's Gone (Photos)

February will fly by with all the new programming to watch on Netflix. Plus, you can pretend it's Valentine's Day every night with all of the Netflix and chilling you'll be doing. Scroll through for our curated picks of shows and movies you won't want to miss.
Netflix
Arriving February 1: "Ocean's 13"

Prepare for the all-female reboot coming out this year by watching the third installment of director Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean's" trilogy.
Warner Bros.
Arriving February 2: "Altered Carbon" Season 1

With an aesthetic of Black Mirror meets Blade Runner, "Altered Carbon" tells the story of a man brought back to life after 250 years into a new body to solve a murder. "House of Cards" alum Joel Kinnaman stars next to James Purefoy.
Netflix
Arriving February 2: "Coach Snoop" Season 1

Snoop Dogg is stepping off the stage and onto the football field in "Coach Snoop," which follows the rapper through eight episodes as he teaches kids about football--and life--in the Snoop Youth Football League.
Netflix
Arriving February 7: "Queer Eye" Season 1

Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, and Tan France are your new Fab 5 in Netflix's reboot of the Bravo original "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Season 1 will take the group from New York to Atlanta, Georgia, to give makeovers and open minds.
Netflix
Arriving February 9: "Seeing Allred"

Get to know the famous civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred a little bit better in this Netflix Original documentary about the women's rights champion.
Netflix
Arriving February 9: "My First Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman" Part 2: George Clooney

Movie star George Clooney joins Letterman on his Netflix talk show. He's part of an impressive lineup including Barack Obama--Letterman's first guest--Malala Yousafzai, Jay-Z, Tina Fey, and Howard Stern.
Netflix
Arriving February 16: "Everything Sucks!" Season 1

Go back to 1996 in Boring, Oregon: a simpler time when substitute teachers were just "educational" videos, delete meant whipping out the White Out, and, well, everything sucked.
Netflix
Arriving February 18: "The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale"

"The Soup" alum is coming to Netflix to give you a weekly roundup of pop culture news, with new episodes airing on Sundays.
Netflix
Arriving February 20: "The Frankenstein Chronicles" Seasons 1 and 2

From the BBC, Sean Bean stars in this period drama about something that does more than just go bump in the night in 19th Century London.
BBC
Arriving February 21: "Lincoln"

Daniel Day Lewis may be done with acting after his performance in the recently Oscar-nominated "Phantom Thread," but you'd never know because you can re-watch his Oscar-winning performance as the sixteenth president in "Lincoln."
Disney
Arriving February 23: "Ugly Delicious"

Chef David Chang takes us on a food journey in the new docu-series "Ugly Delicious," which will take a look at how food and culture go hand in hand.
Netflix
Leaving February 14: "Family Guy" Seasons 1-8

Say goodbye to Peter, Lois and baby Stewie, because Netflix is saying goodbye to Quahog, R.I. on Valentine's Day. Binge up!
Fox
Leaving February 20: "Aziz Ansari: Dangerously Delicious"

Aziz Ansari's comedy stand-up "Dangerously Delicious" is leaving the platform on Feb. 20. His Netflix specials, "Buried Alive" and "Live at Madison Square Garden," will remain, along with his comedy series "Master of None."
Netflix

1 of 14

From the “Queer Eye” reboot to David Letterman’s next interview

February will fly by with all the new programming to watch on Netflix. Plus, you can pretend it's Valentine's Day every night with all of the Netflix and chilling you'll be doing. Scroll through for our curated picks of shows and movies you won't want to miss.

View In Gallery