'No paid fast lanes:' Read Apple's full comment on the net neutrality debate (AAPL)

pulse

August 31, 2017 7:30 PM

"We work hard to build great products, and what consumers do with those tools is up to them—not Apple, and not broadband providers," Apple said.

In July, when dozens of internet companies including Netflix and Google protested the FCC's proposal to change Obama-era net-neutrality rules, Apple was silent.

Now, the company has weighed in on FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's proposal to remove the rules. After President Donald Trump appointed Pai chairman, he's been moving to throw out existing net-neutrality rules.

In a comment submitted to the FCC and signed by Cynthia Hogan, Apple's VP of Public Policy for the Americas, Apple urged the FCC not to roll back a ban against "fast lanes," a concept that describes a regulatory environment in which broadband providers can charge to deliver internet content more quickly.

But on other net-neutrality issues, such as whether to reverse the Title II classification that gives the FCC authority over service providers, Apple is less specific. "We work hard to build great products, and what consumers do with those tools is up to them — not Apple, and not broadband providers," Apple said in its comment.

“Apple remains open to alternative sources of legal authority, but only if they provide for strong, enforceable, and legally sustainable protections, like those in place today,” it continued.

An Apple representative declined to comment further on the filing.

Read Apple's entire comment below:

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