Expanding and enhancing high-speed internet throughout Maine – but especially in our many rural communities – should be a No. 1 priority for lawmakers. That is precisely why Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins should oppose the House-passed Save the Internet Act.

Despite its name, this bill would threaten internet investment for rural communities while failing to achieve its supposed goal, which is to ensure net neutrality. Lawmakers should go back to the drawing board on this one.

This legislation would undermine investment in enhancing and expanding broadband networks by imposing burdensome government regulations on the internet. We already saw this the last time these net neutrality rules were introduced. For rural communities, where access to high-speed networks is already spotty, this bill would make things significantly worse, slowing broadband investment and delaying deployment even further.

What’s more, the Save the Internet Act would only apply net neutrality regulations to a small segment of the companies operating in the online space. By holding only internet service providers accountable for ensuring net neutrality – and not massive internet companies like Facebook, Twitter or Google – this legislation fails to address the full range of concerns most Mainers and Americans have when it comes to their online privacy and security.

Net neutrality is too serious of an issue to not get right, and unfortunately, the Save the Internet Act simply fails on all counts. Partisan politics is the only reason it passed the House. Sens. King and Collins should make certain it doesn’t get any further than that.

Jonathan Kinney

Limington

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