Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement about her concerns about a rule proposed by the Federal Communications Commission that would allow internet service providers to sell faster service to some websites, even as other websites would have slower service.

The rule would effectively allow companies that pay fees to transmit their websites to internet users faster than anyone else.

“The promise of the Internet was the freedom of information, that people around the world would have the opportunity to interact and access information easier than ever before,” said Congresswoman Clarke. “I am concerned that the decision to allow for a ‘fast line’ will place others in a ‘slow lane.’ This rule could harm small businesses, for example, that cannot afford the fees a multinational corporation could pay for better service.”

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.