Neighbor News
FCC's Net-Neutrality order and its impact on Open Internet
We need to new Internet protection. Expanding the FCC's control over high-speed networks won't help consumers.
High-speed, high-quality broadband networks are critical for today’s learning environment, especially as we work to expand educational access and hold the line on costs. New imperatives such as video, data sharing and elearning initiatives are driving more and more services online. But when the Federal Communications Commission voted along partisan lines last month to impose old-style telephone utility regulations on the Internet, many of these technological advances in education were jeopardized. This new, burdensome regulatory framework will drive up costs and ultimately limit access.
As a mother and teacher, I am greatly concerned by the FCC’s “net neutrality” order, which reclassifies broadband under Title II of the Communications Act. I’m not alone. Title II has long been opposed by labor, civil-rights organizations, and tech companies who have advocated for a far more restrained regulatory approach to “net neutrality.” That’s because these groups understand that consumers, including those on fixed-incomes, will bear the brunt of increased costs. Underserved communities will suffer disproportionately through FCC rate regulation, diminished infrastructure investments and a weakened climate for innovation.
I support President Obama’s goal of an open Internet. But vastly expanding the FCC’s control over high-speed networks won’t help consumers. Congress must step in with bipartisan legislation that will protect the Internet and ensure all Americans have continued access to fast, affordable broadband.
