WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. broadband industry agreed in 2017 to fund a campaign that generated millions of fake comments during the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) net neutrality proceeding, the New York Attorney General’s Office said Thursday.
The office its investigation showed the broadband industry players funded the $4.2 million generating and submitting more than 8.5 million fake comments to the FCC “to create the appearance of widespread grassroots opposition to existing net neutrality rules.” The FCC adopted landmark net neutrality rules in 2015 that law barred internet service providers from blocking or throttling traffic, or offering paid fast lanes that were overturned under President Donald Trump.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
