Lest we be accused of seeing only dark clouds and not silver linings, here are some positive comments on the FCC's Title II Internet regulation decision. Not everyone thinks the baby was thrown out with the bath water.
- "Today's FCC decision will protect innovation and create a level playing field for the next generation of entrepreneurs - and it wouldn't have happened without Americans like you." - President Barack Obama
- "America's libraries collect, create and disseminate essential information to the public over the Internet, and ensure our users are able to access the Internet and create and distribute their own digital content and applications. Network neutrality is essential to meeting our mission in serving America's communities." - Courtney Young, presiden, American Library Association
- "The FCC has delivered a powerful one-two punch for Internet users and for the kind of open, robust debate that is vital to a successful democracy. Thanks to today's action on net neutrality, candidates of every party and advocates of every cause can be assured of equal access to our electronic town square." - Miles Rapoport, president, Common Cause
- "As a provider of over-the-top and cloud-based services, Vonage has long been a strong proponent of robust open Internet rules that apply to both wired and wireless broadband. We applaud the FCC and Chairman Wheeler for adopting new Net Neutrality rules that will ensure the Internet remains an open, uninhibited platform for all." - Alan Masarek, CEO, Vonage
- "Realtors welcome the passage of the FCC's new rules to protect true net neutrality, which are essential to the modern business of real estate that is increasingly conducted online. Today's vote ensures that consumers will have equal, unencumbered access to the Internet and all legal content and applications, that cannot be blocked or throttled by Internet Service Providers." - Chris Polychron, president, National Association of Realtors
- "To me, more than anything else, this is a victory for the people, the consumers, the average Joes, against the suppliers who have all of the power and the wealth and make decisions for them and they feel hopeless and helpless. And here 4 million of us signed petitions. It's an indication that the people can sometimes win. We've had a lot of defeats over the years, but once in a while we get a win." - Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in video interview with Bloomberg
- "This is an enormous victory. This is the culmination of years of hard work by countless Americans who believe - just as I do - that the Internet should remain the free and open platform that it's always been. Net neutrality is important for consumers, for small businesses and startups trying to compete with the big guys, and ultimately, for the innovation that has helped drive our economy for the past several decades." - Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)
- "Sprint has been a leader in supporting an open Internet and commends the FCC for its hard work in arriving at a thoughtful, measured approach on this important issue. We believe balanced net neutrality rules with a light regulatory touch will benefit consumers, while fostering mobile broadband competition, investment and innovation in the United States." - Statement from Sprint, no spokesperson named
- "The net neutrality debate is about who picks winners and losers online: Internet service providers or consumers. Today, the FCC settled it: Consumers win." - Statement from Netflix, no spokesperson named
- "As the consumer advocate, we have always believed in competition and in a free, open Internet with rules that protect net neutrality - no blocking, no discrimination and transparency. I am hopeful that the FCC's new rules will let us continue to offer innovative services to consumers in our typical Un-carrier fashion, but obviously we need to read through all of the details." - John Legere, president & CEO, T-Mobile US