Ten Facts About Net Neutrality Protections
October 18, 2023
- Broadband is essential: A lot has changed since the previous Federal Communications Commission repealed net neutrality. A devastating pandemic reaffirmed the essential nature of broadband access to protect the health and economic security of all Americans.
- Abdicated oversight: The 2017 FCC approach was not “light touch.” It was a complete abdication of authority.
- Targeted approach: Chairwoman Rosenworcel’s approach is targeted, not heavy-handed.
- Pandemic lessons: Comparing anecdotal evidence of broadband reliability during the pandemic between the U.S. and Europe is like comparing apples to oranges.
- Broadband outage oversight: Title II would bolster FCC authority to require internet service providers to address internet outages.
- Judicial track record: The record shows that the FCC’s ability to adopt net neutrality protections can pass judicial muster. If final rules are challenged in court, challengers will have to grapple with the fact that the D.C. Circuit has previously upheld the FCC taking that same course of action.
- The investment myth: Restoring the FCC’s oversight authority over broadband networks would not delay new broadband investments and innovation.
- Broadband network security: Without broadband oversight, the FCC is unable to monitor and respond to critical national security threats.
- Consumer data protection: Net neutrality protections would increase the tools the FCC has available to protect consumer data and respond to evolving consumer threats.
- Our work continues: The FCC is doing a lot more than just focusing on net neutrality.
Chairwoman Fact Sheet: Ten Facts About Net Neutrality Protections