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AT&T’s conflicting stance on net neutrality continues with call for Internet Bill of Rights
July 23, 2025
When I openedThe Washington Postapp on my tablet, it seemed strange to seeAT&TCEO Randall Stephenson calling for net neutrality laws in anopen letter. It’s not thatnet neutralityis something we should ignore, but because AT&T says one thing and does another.
In the open letter, Stephenson wants an “Internet Bill of Rights” that would enforce “neutrality, transparency, openness, non-discrimination and privacy protection” for American internet users. This bill would also establish “consistent rules of the road” that provide internet service providers and telecom companies some expectations.
Stephenson also reinforced that AT&T is “committed to an open internet” and does not “throttle, discriminate, or degrade network performance based on content.”
This sounds all well and good, but AT&T has fought net neutrality regulation for years. The carrier spentover $16 million in lobbyingin 2017 alone andsaidthe FCC’svote to repeal net neutrality lawswasn’t a big deal.
The open letter also said nothing about paid prioritization and fast lanes. Paid prioritization is when ISPs charge companies likeGoogleto prioritize their content over others.
In other words, AT&T’s open letter seems more like smoke and mirrors than something legitimate. You cannot talk about net neutrality without talking about paid prioritization, and the carrier’s silence on the latter is deafening.
We reached out to the Electronic Frontier Foundation for comment on AT&T’s open letter.
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