Public Knowledge Comments on the FCC's IP Transition Presentation

We are pleased to see that the FCC is taking a thorough and deliberative process that respects our fundamental values as well as the technology. This transition will impact everyone in the United States, whether they use traditional landline, a mobile phone or some sort of Internet based technology. This is a "network of networks," and every household and every business in America counts on all the pieces of this network working together smoothly. Those who keep claiming we can upgrade one-third of our communications network without any plan or oversight and have nothing go wrong are either fooling themselves or selling something. Those who express impatience with the FCC's deliberative approach need a healthy dose of humility about technology and an appreciation of what happens if people can't reach 9-1-1 because of glitch in the upgrade, or if people start to fall off the grid. If we want this to be an upgrade for everyone, not an upgrade for the lucky and a downgrade for the rest, we need a genuine public debate about the future of our phone system. Public Knowledge and the Center for Media Justice developed a toolkit to help Americans become active participants rather than passive spectators in the shaping of our digital future. We hope communities and businesses across America will take the opportunity created by this proceeding, as well as state and local government proceedings, to make their needs heard.