i2Coalition Leads Broad Stakeholders Letter to Congress Opposing Section 230 Sunset Legislation

The Internet Infrastructure Coalition organized and signed on to a multi-association letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) to voice strong opposition to their discussion draft legislation proposing to sunset Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934. 

While focusing on so-called “Big Tech,” this draft legislation misunderstands and overlooks the full scope of Section 230 and its role in supporting the diverse and vibrant ecosystem of the Internet’s infrastructure service providers. While a handful of large companies grab the lion’s share of headlines, the reality is that passing a law to sunset Section 230 for the sake of forcing Big Tech’s hand—itself a nebulous, arbitrary, and unpredictable goal—would invite a host of negative ramifications for everyone building Internet services or interacting online.

Section 230 is an important pillar of intermediary liability law, which protects a wide variety of both providers and users of “interactive computer services” from being held liable for “information provided by another information content provider”—i.e. third-party content—as defined in the statute. 

The letter reads in part, “Section 230 protections are essential for nurturing a thriving ecosystem of small and medium-sized tech enterprises that make up the Internet’s infrastructure, educational institutions, libraries, ISPs, and many other vital stakeholders. These protections provide the necessary legal framework for innovation, creativity, and free expression to flourish online.“

You can read the letter in its entirety below. 

FINAL MAY 21 2024_230 STAKEHOLDERS LETTER

About the i2Coalition

The Internet Infrastructure Coalition (“i2Coalition”) ensures that those who build the infrastructure of the Internet have a voice in public policy. With more than 100 member brands, we are a leading voice for web hosting companies, data centers, domain registrars and registries, cloud infrastructure providers, managed services providers, and related tech. We protect innovation and the continued growth of the Internet’s infrastructure which is essential to the global economy. 

For more in-depth updates on Internet policy, including issues that impact your Internet infrastructure organization, please contact us about joining the i2Coalition.