Here are five reasons why we need net neutrality protections restored and why the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed Title II reclassification brings back its ability to provide necessary oversight to this essential service: 

1. Return of Popular, Court-Tested Net Neutrality Protections: The FCC would once again prevent broadband service providers from blocking traffic, slowing down content, or creating pay-to-play internet fast lanes.
2. Provide Oversight of Broadband Outages: When households and businesses lose internet service, consumers often expect the FCC might either be able to help in the restoration or at least have information about the outage.
3. Boost Security of Broadband Networks: Without reclassification of broadband, the FCC is limited in its authority to direct foreign-owned companies deemed to be national security threats to discontinue any domestic or international broadband services—as the agency has done with telephone services.
4. Broadband Provider Oversight, Not Control: The FCC has no authority to, and no interest in, policing online speech. On the contrary, freedom of speech will be enhanced by open internet protections, because they will prevent broadband providers from blocking or disfavoring any type of online speech.
5. 'Big Tech' is an Important but Unrelated Policy Challenge: Treating broadband as the essential service it is does not in any way limit policy options related to internet-age companies that the public and Capitol Hill often collectively refer to as “Big Tech.” Certainly, there may be a need for closer oversight of “Big Tech"—but the Communications Act does not grant such authority to the FCC.

For urban and rural communities, the digital divide is more than just the lack of access to high-speed internet — it’s a disconnect from economic and social ties as well as opportunities in a fast-changing society. Roberto Gallardo, Purdue University’s vice president for engagement, has spent the past decade analyzing local and regional community economic development, including the use of technology. He notes that the U.S. government’s plans to invest $42.5 billion in the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program will help narrow this divide by ensuring a growing number of Americans can connect to fast internet, regardless of their location or socioeconomic status. “The federal program recognizes that in today’s interconnected world, high-speed internet access is not a luxury; it’s a necessity,” said Gallardo, who was named in October 2023 to lead the newly formed Purdue Broadband Team. “It is an essential component to workforce training and regional development, helping rural communities to thrive.”

The projected end of the federal government's ACP (Affordable Connectivity Program) will leave many low–income households looking for affordable internet options. Nearly 23 million people nationwide rely on the $30 subsidy ($75 for tribal land) to defray the cost of internet service or secure internet service for free. Unfortunately, the federal government has only funded ACP through April and is expected to lapse in May. Since the beginning of 2024, Cox has been reaching out to customers impacted by the loss of ACP to ensure they are aware of available affordable internet plans and customizable offers. For more than a decade, Cox has championed digital equity for qualifying low-income households through the following programs and initiatives:

• Connect2Compete Internet Plan - a $9.95 per month service for families with a child in grades K-12 in the home, who participate in the National School Lunch Program or other select federal programs such as SNAP.
• ConnectAssist Internet Plan – a $30 per month service for low-income households that participate in select government programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, Public Housing, Pell Grant and others. This program is available to all Cox customers currently receiving the ACP benefit as well as those who meet the eligibility criteria for ACP.
• All Cox-sponsored internet programs feature no credit checks, no deposit and no Wi-Fi modem rental fees. Further, customers will enjoy unlimited data and access to 4 million Wi-Fi hotspots.
• Customers can choose to enhance their digital proficiency through the Cox Digital Academy, as well as access discounted personal computers.

Arizona's goal of expanding broadband internet access in rural areas is taking a step forward with a public-private partnership. The agreement with eX² Technology is to operate, maintain and lease space in fiber-optic conduit installed along Interstate 17 and Interstate 19, and being installed later in 2024 along much of Interstate 40. The Arizona Department of Transportation—in partnership with Governor Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Commerce Authority—entered into the agreement recently with eX² Technology, an Omaha, Nebraska, firm with extensive experience working with state and local governments to manage what is often referred to as middle-mile fiber-optic infrastructure. The partnership complements a state law that allows private broadband providers to install, operate, and maintain telecommunications equipment within ADOT’s right of way using conduit installed along state highways. ADOT plans to use the fiber-optic conduit to provide intelligent transportation systems technology, such as overhead message boards, traffic cameras, weather stations, and wrong-way driving detection. The infrastructure also will help lay the groundwork for emerging technologies like connected and automated vehicles. The initial scope for this 25-year agreement includes fiber-optic conduit along I-17 from Phoenix to Flagstaff, I-19 from Tucson to Nogales, and conduit to be installed on Interstate 40 from Flagstaff to California. It will be available for lease by internet service providers looking to expand broadband internet access.

As energy companies around the country deploy fiber to improve grid reliability, they open the door to enabling broadband connectivity to previously unserved rural communities. Alabama Power has invested over $1 billion in infrastructure upgrades to add over 1,600 miles of fiber within its service areas since 2017. It now connects over 1,000 devices on its electric distribution system, allowing for real-time monitoring and grid reconfiguration. Alabama Power’s fiber and state regulatory changes have enabled the utility to partner with the state’s electric co-ops and internet companies to deploy fiber by providing middle mile fiber to reach rural areas. They leverage Alabama Power’s existing fiber assets to reduce cost and enable others to open and expand last-mile access for unserved communities. Alabama’s partnership with these electric co-ops delivers over 3,000 miles of middle-mile fiber to 67 counties in the state, together as the Alabama Fiber Network. Alabama has been allocated $1.4 billion in National Telecommunications and Information Administration Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) funding for broadband infrastructure and Alabama Power stands ready to provide dark fiber to ISPs interested in applying for BEAD and other broadband projects.

Aldo Soledad relies on his phone's data plan to take care of his internet needs. When it comes to living without home internet, he isn't alone. Millions of Americans are without broadband, either because of a lack of access or because they can't afford it. That number will likely go up after April, which is the last fully funded month of the Federal Communication Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program. Those impacted might find themselves asking the same question as Soledad: Can I rely on my smartphone and data plan for all of my home internet necessities? The Pew Research Center reports that 15 percent of US adults are doing just that.  Although smartphones have become digital Swiss Army knives, functioning as everything from a calculator to a portable internet browser and a pocket-size TV, there are still notable drawbacks to relying on phones and their accompanying data plans as a primary home internet source. But developments in wireless networks like the ones that connect to our mobile devices could pave the way for making high-speed home internet more accessible.

The Federal Communications Commission proposed improvements for wireless call routing to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline that would connect callers in crisis to behavioral health resources in their state or county while protecting their privacy. Calls to 988, the three-digit number designated in 2020 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, are currently routed based on the caller’s area code and exchange, which presents some obstacles to callers whose area code does not correspond to their location. Reliable, timely access to the 988 Lifeline is crucial to linking people experiencing a suicidal or mental health crisis with immediate support. This proposal would require a georouting solution to be implemented for all wireless calls to the 988 Lifeline. In July 2023, the FCC adopted rules that require providers to report outages that may potentially impact 988 service similar to the existing requirement for 911. This requirement affects all providers with a role in delivering the calls, including cable, satellite, wireless, wireline, interconnected VoIP providers. The Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking reflects coordinated efforts by the FCC and the US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to make it easier for those in crisis to get help.

An organization called the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America submitted a filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking the agency to use its official powers to go after Elon Musk, based on their view that he is not doing enough to help Ukraine. Their filing asks the FCC to require Musk to step down from Starlink, to stop processing Starlink applications altogether, and ultimately to revoke SpaceX’s FCC licenses. Their submission is chock full of sweeping and unmoored allegations about “illegal meddling in US foreign policy” in Ukraine and complaints about the ways in which Starlink connectivity has been provided within Ukraine. Their submission is both procedurally improper and substantively meritless. Indeed, their filing repeatedly invokes laws and rules that have no application here. Plainly, this filing should have never left the drafts folder. The FCC must make clear that this agency will no longer participate in these efforts. The FCC should dismiss this filing with prejudice, lest the agency’s silence invite even more attempts just like it.

At NTIA, tech policy is what we do. From connecting everyone in America to the Internet, to managing federal airwaves, to crafting policy for emerging innovations like artificial intelligence systems, our goal is to make sure important technologies are developed in the service of people and progress. To help reach that goal, I’m pleased to announce key additions to our leadership team: 

• Shiva Goel will join the Office of the Assistant Secretary as Senior Advisor for Spectrum Policy. He joins NTIA from the Federal Communications Commission, where he served as Legal Advisor to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks. 
• Francella Ochillo joins NTIA as Director of Public Engagement. Ochillo is a technology policy expert who specializes in promoting digital citizenship. She comes to NTIA from Georgetown University, where she served as a Technology and Society Fellow. 

These additions are the latest in a series of moves in recent months to bolster our senior staff. We continue to seek top-flight candidates for other leadership roles, including a new Chief Financial Officer/Director of Administration, Associate Administrator/Laboratory Director for our Institute for Telecommunication Sciences in Colorado, and Deputy Associate Administrator for Spectrum Management. These and other key hires continue to prepare NTIA to build a better-connected world now and in the future.