FCC Names Ombudsperson to Hear Your Net Neutrality Complaints

Do you think your Internet provider is deliberately slowing your connection or trying to block your access to a site or service? Now that new net neutrality rules are in effect, the Federal Communications Commission has appointed a new ombudsperson to field any complaints.

Parul Desai, an FCC staffer in the consumer division, has been named the new handler of net neutrality complaints, the agency announced Monday afternoon.

The new rules stipulated that a new ombudsperson would be in charge of handling complaints from consumers and making sure any net neutrality issues don’t get lost at the highly bureaucratic agency. The new ombudsperson “will work as a point of contact and a source of assistance as need” but “not as an advocate,” the FCC said Monday.

Given that Desai was a long-time consumer advocate before joining the FCC — she previously worked on telecom issues at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, and Media Access Project, a now-defunct consumer group — broadband providers may not take much comfort in her appointment.

If you think you have a net neutrality violation to report, you can file a complaint with ombudsperson@fcc.gov or call 202-418-1155. To file a complaint online, go to consumercomplaints.fcc.gov and select the “Open Internet” option under the “Internet” portion of the site.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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