Current FCC Pitches Net Neutrality as a Public Safety Measure

WASHINGTON, October 5, 2023 – The Federal Communications Commission pitched on Thursday its proposal to reinstate net neutrality rules as a public safety effort.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced on September 26 plans to classify broadband internet service as a “common carrier” service under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934, reinstituting an Obama-era policy that was repealed in 2017 by Trump-appointed FCC chair Ajit Pai. That would give the commission more authority to regulate internet providers, including the ability to prevent carriers from throttling or speeding up internet traffic to certain websites.

That extra authority, the FCC said in a statement, would allow the commission to address public safety issues that arise from more relaxed federal internet regulations. Specifically, the commission would be able to oversee broadband services for first responders and bolster its authority to require internet providers to report and fix outages, as well as deny internet access to companies controlled by hostile governments.

Industry groups have reacted sharply to the proposal. Broadband providers say the regulations are unnecessary and burdensome, while software companies join human rights organizations in supporting increased oversight.

Rosenworcel has been supportive of net neutrality measures since she joined the FCC in 2021. “I believe the repeal of net neutrality put the agency on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of the public,” she said when announcing plans to reinstate the rules.

The move came just one day after Anna Gomez was confirmed as a commissioner, giving Democrats a 3-2 majority at the FCC. The commission had been in a 2-2 gridlock while Joe Biden’s first nominee, Gigi Sohn, spent months awaiting confirmation before withdrawing from consideration in March 2023, citing harassment by lobbyists.

The commission will vote on the proposal at its October 19 open meeting. If approved, it will go up for public comment.