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 자유롭고 개방적이며 접근 가능한 인터넷 모든 사람을 위해. 광대역은 정보를 얻고 참여하는 대중에게 기여합니다. 이것이 없다면 민주주의는 기능할 수 없습니다.

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 가격 인상, 고객의 실시간 위치 데이터를 판매했습니다., 그리고 수행 사기성 청구 관행. 제2편은 FCC에 광대역 가격이 공정하고 합리적임을 보장할 권한을 부여하고, 기관이 부당하고 차별적인 행위를 조사할 수 있도록 허용합니다. 광대역이 그 어느 때보다 필수적이 되었기 때문에 FCC는 이러한 회사를 책임지고 대중의 이익을 보호하기 위해 사용할 수 있는 모든 도구를 갖추어야 합니다.

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 However, the FCC during the Trump administration repealed the 2015 Order, and consequently abdicated its authority over broadband.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 덜 가능성이 있음 백인보다 집에서 광대역 연결을 사용할 수 있는 사람이 적기 때문에 우리 민주주의에 온전히 참여할 수 없습니다. 이러한 커뮤니티는 또한 영향을 받을 가능성이 더 높습니다. 코로나19 감염병 세계적 유행, 원격근무, 원격진료 및 가상 교육을 위한 인터넷 접속의 가용성에 대한 중요성을 더욱 높였습니다. 그들은 다음에 해당하는 동네에 살고 있습니다. 디지털 레드라이닝, 구식 인프라와 진정한 고속 인터넷에 대한 액세스가 없는 상태로 남겨집니다. 이러한 동일한 커뮤니티는 불균형적으로 영향을 받을 가능성이 더 높습니다. 차별적인 데이터 관행. With Title II authority, the FCC can correct the market failure that has led to these 불평등, 규정을 공포하다 디지털 레드라이닝 금지그리고, 광대역 서비스 제공자가 소외 계층 구성원의 개인 데이터를 처리하는 방식과 관련하여 이러한 데이터를 보호하는 개인정보 보호 조치를 채택합니다.

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.