The state attorney general is asking New Yorkers to help verify whether their names have been used without their permission in comments to the FCC over the pending repeal of Net Neutrality protections.
On Wednesday, Eric Schneiderman launched a website, https://ag.ny.gov/fakecomments, that details how to check if a name was used illegally on the FCC’s comment system, and gives instructions on how to report the findings back to his office.
The website is part of a continuing investigation which, over six months, has found that tens of thousands of New Yorkers’ names were listed in the system, though those persons had not filed a complaint.
Schneiderman said the FCC hasn’t complied with multiple requests for records that would help the investigation.
“The FCC is refusing to help us — or anyone else — conduct a serious investigation, so we’re asking New Yorkers to help us get to the bottom of what happened. New Yorkers deserve a fair and transparent process,” he said in a statement.
The FCC did not immediately return a request for comment.
The agency has been criticized harshly since its chairman, Ajit Pai, announced last week it was going to roll back the protections put in place in 2015 to prevent internet service providers from throttling web speeds or charging apps and websites for access to priority bandwidth.
Pai has argued that the protections were slowing down innovation by internet companies. Critics contend the safeguards have kept the internet equal for all users.
