FCC Confirms Plan to Further Downgrade Rural America and Widen Digital Divide

Upgrading to next-generation services, like high-speed broadband, is important and essential to closing the digital divide. While the copper network may be dated, millions of Americans still rely on it to support devices like credit card machines, fax machines, school fire alarms, and medical devices. With this order, the Federal Communications Commission gives carriers the green light to provide consumers with less notice about service changes and less time to respond. If passed, this order puts rural communities, small businesses, the elderly, and people with disabilities at risk of suddenly losing access to vital services or, worse, experiencing a downgrade in service.

The Commission claims its eliminating regulatory burdens to encourage broadband investment, when really it’s just trading consumer protections for self-regulation by transitioning phone companies. This entire order really boils down to the Commission turning a blind eye to their statutory mandate to protect consumers on services central to daily life. At its heart, the order trusts carriers to just do the ‘right thing.’ Carriers’ own track record has demonstrated that’s not enough.