Facebook exec slams FCC rollback of net neutrality

Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg hammered the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over its decision to roll back net neutrality rules on Thursday.

In a statement, Sandberg called on Congress to pursue legislation enshrining such rules as law.

“Today’s decision from the Federal Communications Commission to end net neutrality is disappointing and harmful,” Sandberg said.

{mosads}“An open internet is critical for new ideas and economic opportunity – and internet providers shouldn’t be able to decide what people can see online or charge more for certain websites. We’re ready to work with members of Congress and others to help make the internet free and open for everyone.”

Sandberg’s statement comes after the FCC voted to scrap net neutrality 3-2 along party lines, favoring Republicans.

The vote was preceded by a vocal backlash from activists and Democrats both in Congress and across the country, who called for the rules to be preserved. They argued that letting the FCC abolish the rules would allow more lightly regulated broadband companies to potentially slow down and block certain types of content, as well as charge consumers more to access some portions of the internet.

Sandberg joins high-profile Republicans like Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) who have also called for a legislative solution in establishing more permanent net neutrality laws.