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Government watchdog to investigate fraud & identity theft in net neutrality comments

While the Trump administration saw the FCC repeal net neutrality, opponents of a two-speed Internet haven’t yet given up. After widespread allegations of fraud during the consultation process, including some particularly unpleasant allegations of identity theft, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has agreed to investigate …

Ten members of Congress wrote to the GAO requesting an investigation, and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce yesterday tweeted a copy of the GAO’s response.

The GAO says that it has assigned the investigation to the managing director of its Forensic Audits and Investigative Service. The bad news is that it doesn’t expect to have the resources to begin the investigation for five months.

There has been near-unanimous opposition to repealing net neutrality from the tech community. Some 40 tech giants created a Day of Action, Apple later adding its voice, and Steve Wozniak was one of 21 tech pioneers to blast the FCC’s decision.

Since then, state attorneys general have joined trade groups in planning legal action, with New York taking a strong lead in the battle to restore consumer protections.

Apple initially rejected then approved an app to detect net neutrality violations, while an increasing number of Internet users are using VPNs to circumvent any blocks or bandwidth throttling.

Via The Verge

https://twitter.com/MackenzieAstin/status/941459382864437248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2F2018%2F1%2F24%2F16926952%2Ffcc-net-neutrality-false-identities-comments


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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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