[RpFLCL]

Can you briefly expand on what congress is capable of doing to delay or stop this?

I would like to be able to convey specific actions I want to see from my representatives, but I currently only feel comfortable asking "please do something!"

Are we to demand that they require the FCC delay the vote until your investigation has concluded? Do they have that authority?

I was under the impression that the telecom lobby was using the FCC as an end run around congress. What does a delay gain for us if those involved in the vote are beholden to lobbies, not citizens?

Thank you for taking the time to come here today, and for your involvement.

[AGSchneiderman]

On Congress: Many members of Congress have already spoken up and called on the FCC to halt the process until the problems with public comments can be investigated. I hope more of our elected officials in Washington take up that call. If enough members of Congress support net neutrality, especially if it is a bipartisan group, then I believe the FCC is less likely to repeal the strong Title II net neutrality protections that we know the overwhelming majority of Americans support.

On what you can do: I’ve called on the FCC to delay its vote. So has FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, one of the leading champions of net neutrality. And so have at least 28 U.S. Senators. Americans absolutely have the right to make their preferences known to their elected representatives in Washington, and I encourage you to do so, especially if those officials haven’t already spoken publicly about net neutrality. If members of Congress – speaking on behalf of their constituents – speak out on any issue, their statements matter.

My interest in a pause in the process is to get to the bottom of the fake comments and misuse of New Yorkers’ identities, and to make sure real Americans are given the right to have their voices heard. At heart, what we're talking about aren't the merits of net neutrality -- it's the integrity of the democratic policymaking process and the rule of law. In that way, I believe such a delay would be very beneficial to any ultimate result.

[RpFLCL]

So it's not a matter of demanding my representatives create new legislation, so much as it is trying to convince them to make my voice (our voices) heard on the national stage. That makes sense.

[Clanan]

The AG is glossing over the roles of the different institutions here. Put simply, the FCC isn't delaying the vote because it doesn't take a democratic approach to rule-making. (There are also unknown ramifications of allowing DDoS attacks on comments to delay/"de-legitimize" policy decisions). Like many other agencies in the Executive branch, its leaders have broad powers to enact policies. The AG, like any clever politician, is scoring political points by yelling "think of the children!" instead of explaining how the process actually works and how constituents can actually impact the situation. This will not delay the vote, just like the Senate phone systems going down wouldn't delay a Senate vote.

If you value Net Neutrality, don't waste time with the FCC - it's simply not set up for constituent influence. Instead, focus your efforts on Congress. Congressional legislation would overrule the FCC, just as it was intended to. Congresspeople are far more likely to consider voter opinions too.