Broadband is as necessary as water, gas, and electricity – a sentiment shared by over half of all Americans who say that the internet has been essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy, Common Cause understands the importance of a freies, offenes und zugängliches Internet für alle. Breitband trägt zu einer informierten und engagierten Öffentlichkeit bei und ohne sie haben wir keine funktionierende Demokratie.

Broadband has fundamentally changed what participation in our democracy looks like. Today, people use the internet to register to vote, learn about political candidates, find their polling places, access government services, organize rallies, communicate with their friends and family, and much more. But broadband can only fuel civic engagement to the extent our digital rights are protected online.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has the authority to regulate and oversee broadband under Title II of the Communications Act. Title II is often synonymous with net neutrality, the principle that the internet should be open and ISPs shouldn’t be allowed to block, throttle, or create fast lanes for prioritized internet access. But Title II means much more than that. It protects the digital rights everyone expects when going online.

The largest ISPs in this country hold tremendous control over who can access the internet and what that access looks like. This unfettered control gives ISPs the ability and incentive to engage in discriminatory practices that undermine our digital rights. For example, ISPs have engaged in Preistreiberei, die Echtzeit-Standortdaten ihrer Kunden verkauftund führte betrügerische Abrechnungspraktiken. Titel II gibt der FCC die Befugnis, dafür zu sorgen, dass die Breitbandpreise gerecht und angemessen sind, und erlaubt der Behörde, ungerechtes und diskriminierendes Verhalten zu untersuchen. Da Breitband heute wichtiger denn je geworden ist, sollte die FCC über alle ihr zur Verfügung stehenden Mittel verfügen, um diese Unternehmen zur Verantwortung zu ziehen und das öffentliche Interesse zu schützen.

Recognizing the critical nature of connectivity, the FCC under the Obama administration reclassified broadband as a Title II service under the 2015 Open Internet Order, creating a framework that advanced universal and affordable connectivity and safeguarded critical consumer protections when online. However, the FCC during the Trump administration repealed the 2015 Order, and consequently abdicated its authority over broadband.

Since the FCC relinquished its broadband authority, we’ve seen a wild west where ISPs are free to do what they want at the expense of consumers. In one particularly egregious example, Verizon throttled the Santa Clara Fire Department during its response to the California Wildfires, and the Fire Department was left without legal recourse because the FCC had no oversight over Verizon’s actions. Without Title II authority, the FCC was also forced to resort to asking ISPs to make voluntary commitments not to terminate customer service during the pandemic. When customers filed hundreds of complaints noting ISPs failure to uphold the pledge, the FCC had no way to hold these providers accountable for disconnecting households during the pandemic. Without Title II, the FCC will continue to be stuck trying to protect consumers with one hand tied behind its back.

Title II also plays a vital role in safeguarding the rights of marginalized people. Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities are weniger wahrscheinlich als weiße Mitbürger, die zu Hause über einen Breitbandanschluss verfügen, was bedeutet, dass sie nicht in der Lage sind, voll an unserer Demokratie teilzunehmen. Diese Gemeinschaften waren auch eher von den Covid-19 Pandemie, wobei der Verfügbarkeit von Internetzugang für Telearbeit, Telemedizin und virtuelle Bildung eine erhöhte Bedeutung zukommt. Sie leben in Vierteln, die Digitales Redlining, sodass sie mit veralteter Infrastruktur und ohne Zugang zu echtem Hochgeschwindigkeitsinternet zurückbleiben. Diese gleichen Gemeinden sind noch stärker betroffen von diskriminierende Datenpraktiken. With Title II authority, the FCC can correct the market failure that has led to these UngleichheitenVorschriften erlassen, die Verbot digitaler Redlining-Maßnahmen, und führen Sie Datenschutzmaßnahmen ein, die die persönlichen Daten von Mitgliedern marginalisierter Gemeinschaften im Hinblick auf den Umgang mit diesen Daten durch Breitbandanbieter schützen.

This is a pivotal moment for consumers everywhere. We need a fully functional FCC to address our communications needs and protect our digital rights under Title II. These  rights go way beyond the basic principle of net neutrality. Title II represents the ability of the Federal Communications Commission to ensure equal access to broadband, act in the event of an emergency, and safeguard the activities that are essential to our democracy. We need robust and affordable broadband now more than ever for a functioning democracy, and that can only be achieved through Title II.