The Cost and Quality Dilemma
If you’re unhappy with the high cost and low quality of your internet service — and who isn’t? — the reason is easy to pinpoint. It can be found in an ill-considered, cynical and overtly pro-business decision in 2018 by the Trump-controlled Federal Communications Commission to abdicate its authority over broadband internet service and repeal rules guaranteeing network neutrality, a core principle of the open internet.
A Glimmer of Hope
Now there’s a glimmer of hope that the FCC could get its arms back around internet service. Current FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, a former Democratic Senate aide, has proposed restoring the FCC’s authority over broadband providers as well as the net neutrality rules that were in place until Pai killed them. The commission will vote Oct. 19 on whether to move ahead with the rule-making and start taking public comments.
The Meaning of Net Neutrality
One quick primer about the meaning of net neutrality. It means simply that internet service providers can’t discriminate among content providers trying to reach you online — they can’t block websites or services, or degrade their signal, slow their traffic or, conversely, provide a better traffic lane for some rather than others.
The Urgency of Restoring Net Neutrality
Rosenworcel laid out her proposal in a Sept. 26 speech in Washington. Her starting point was the observation that broadband connectivity is no longer a luxury in the modern world. “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.”
The lack of federal authority over broadband has troubling implications not only for public safety, as it did in Santa Clara County, but for national security, cybersecurity, network reliability, and privacy protection, Rosenworcel said. Federal officials have no authority to monitor outages or security standards. Rules guaranteeing privacy protection for telephone users exist, but not for anyone with a broadband subscription.
The Role of State Laws
With the federal government missing in action, the task of enforcing network neutrality has fallen to the states. California was the first to enact its own rules, passing a law in 2018 that replicated the original FCC standards almost verbatim, with enforcement left in the hands of city attorneys, county district attorneys, and the state attorney general.
The Telecom Industry’s Opposition
Don’t be surprised if the telecom industry’s attack on Rosenworcel’s proposal exceeds the ugliness of its effort to support the rollback of net neutrality. Among other factors, big internet service providers have gotten bigger, richer, and more entrenched since 2017, so they have more to lose by the revival of net neutrality.
Correcting a Mistake
The only question is whether she’s too late. In government, it’s often harder to correct a mistake than to commit it in the first place. There’s no question that the FCC’s repeal of network neutrality and its abandonment of broadband oversight were blunders of the first order. Making the internet fulfill its role as an indispensable utility in the modern age may be the most important imperative on the FCC’s agenda.
