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Rosenblum, 17 More Attorneys General Ask FCC To Delay Net Neutrality Vote

<p>Demonstrators rally in support of net neutrality outside a Verizon store, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, in New York. The FCC is set to vote Dec. 14 whether to scrap Obama-era rules around open internet access that prevent phone and cable companies from favoring certain websites and apps.</p>

Mary Altaffer

Demonstrators rally in support of net neutrality outside a Verizon store, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2017, in New York. The FCC is set to vote Dec. 14 whether to scrap Obama-era rules around open internet access that prevent phone and cable companies from favoring certain websites and apps.

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is asking the Federal Communications Commission to delay its decision on net neutrality. 

Rosenblum, along with a coalition of 17 state attorneys general, sent a letter to the FCC Wednesday asking to delay the vote on net neutrality until they complete investigations into millions of fake public comments submitted to the FCC.

Critics say the comments appear to have been part of an organized effort to influence FCC commissioners' vote on whether or not to abolish rules that ensure internet service providers treat all web traffic equally.

"Recent attempts by New York Attorney General Schneiderman to investigate supposed comments received by the FCC have revealed a pattern of facts that should raise alarm bells for every American about the integrity of the democratic process," the letter reads.

"While we will investigate these consumer complaints through our normal processes, we urge the Commission to take immediate action and to cooperate with law enforcement investigations."

The FCC is scheduled to decide Thursday whether it will do away with net neutrality rules. Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden has defended the rules, arguing the government cannot expect internet providers to police themselves. 

“There’s about as much chance of this soft touch or voluntary approaches to net neutrality working, as there would be to getting my 10-year-old son, William Peter Wyden, to voluntarily limit the number of desserts he eats," Wyden said in a recent appearance on OPB's "Think Out Loud."

In a statement, Rosenblum says she wants to get to the bottom of whether fraud was committed in the FCC comment process in advance of its vote on net neutrality.

“Changing the rules around net neutrality will have major implications for commerce and almost every aspect of modern life," Rosenblum said. "Before that is allowed to happen, we must get to the bottom of whether fraud was committed in the FCC comment process on behalf of unsuspecting Americans."

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson also signed the letter to the FCC.

Copyright 2017 Oregon Public Broadcasting

Ericka Cruz Guevarra