The anticipated decision to revive net neutrality, a campaign upheld by both the White House and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), took a significant leap forward. With unanimous votes at their April 25 session, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) barred Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from blocking, throttling, or entering into paid prioritization arrangements for lawful content. Broadband is now redefined as a common carrier service and subjected to user cost regulatory scrutiny.
Following the FCC’s verdict, a statement was released by Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), pioneers of net neutrality proposals since 2006. The senators lauded the development, emphasizing its crucial role in enabling free speech and nurturing a democratic space conducive to growth in trade and communication. The standoff against opportunistic ISPs and sizable telecommunications corporations that oppose net neutrality has evidently paid off, they asserted, adding that the free and open internet’s potential, ease of access, affordability, and enablement are now safeguarded.
Not everyone, however, is singing the decision’s praises. Gigi Sohn, executive director of the American Association for Public Broadband, criticised the FCC’s unusual decision to forbear contributions to the Universal Service Fund (USF), famously known for subsidising connectivity in schools, libraries, and rural healthcare facilities. Sohn fears that reversing this status-quo would lead to a political and legal uproar lacking any precedent in the agency. Consequently, she argues, the FCC’s ruling seems to disallow any future possibility of a subsidy, threatening the endurance of low-income broadband subsidies and similar universal service programs.
Equally critical was a statement from Shirley Bloomfield, the CEO of NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association. Bloomfield voiced her concerns over the potential consequences of forbearance on USF duties. Allegedly focused solely on one part of the broader online ecosystem, the FCC’s proposed restoration of net neutrality has, in her opinion, overlooked the vast diversity and complexity of this domain, with a bias towards last-mile retail ISPs, potentially burdening smaller broadband providers in particular. Through her statement, Bloomfield expressed her team’s apprehensions and their disappointment at their previously raised concerns being disregarded in the decision-making process. The team now awaits the release of detailed measures to analyze how these issues may be addressed in the light of this mandate.
