Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Jessica
Rosenworcel recently introduced a proposal to begin the process of
re-establishing the agency’s oversight over broadband and restoring uniform,
nationwide net neutrality rules.
In 2017, the Trump administration repealed net neutrality
despite strong public opposition. Rosenworcel said the FCC is seeking public
input on rulemaking to restore net neutrality – particularly on how to best achieve
a uniform, national open internet standard.
In prepared remarks delivered in September, she noted the
FCC has a historic commitment to making broadband accessible to all U.S.
citizens. The agency has made substantial investments in broadband technology,
including $65 billion allocated under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed
by President Joe Biden in November 2021, to extend access and affordability.
Rosenworcel said the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the
essential role of broadband internet access in modern life.
“[Broadband] is not a luxury. It is a necessity,” she said. “It
is essential infrastructure for modern life. No one without it has a fair shot
at 21st century success. We need broadband to reach 100 percent of us —and we
need it fast, open, and fair.”
Lamenting that there is no expert agency ensuring widespread
access to broadband, she asserted the FCC should take up that mantle.
“Since the birth of the modern internet, the FCC had played
that role,” Rosenworcel said. “It makes sense. These are principles that have
deep origins in communications law and history.
After all, back in the era when communications meant telephony, every
call went through, and your phone company could not cut off your call or edit
the content of your conversation. Now fast forward to the present. Communications
means a lot more than just phone calls.
It means access to the internet because broadband is the most important
infrastructure of our time. The FCC adopted open internet policies in 2005 and
later established net neutrality protections in 2015, which were upheld by the
courts.”
She explained that by reclassifying broadband as a Title II
service, the FCC would gain the authority to protect consumers and address
issues like public safety, cybersecurity and privacy. Additionally, she
asserted that a uniform legal framework for the entire country is necessary to
avoid a patchwork of state regulations.
The FCC encourages public engagement in the debate on net
neutrality but calls for civil discourse and discourages extreme actions or
threats, Rosenworcel noted.