Lawmakers send letter in support of FCC proceeding to Chairwoman Rosenworcel
Washington (April 2, 2024) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) today sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in support of the FCC’s proposal to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act and reinstate net neutrality protections. The lawmakers also urged the FCC to ensure that the rule does not contain potential loopholes to allow the ISPs to circumvent these critical protections, either through conduct in the wholesale broadband market or by evading the open internet protections by improperly labeling certain broadband apps and services as non-broadband data services or by speeding up certain applications or classes of applications.
The lawmakers wrote: “We write in strong support of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) proposed rule to reclassify broadband internet access service (BIAS) as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act and reinstate net neutrality protections. As the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated, broadband is essential. By reclassifying broadband under Title II, the proposed rule will protect the free and open internet, strengthen national security, and provide the FCC with the rightful authority to oversee the country’s most important communications network. As part of this rulemaking, the FCC should ensure that ISPs cannot exploit loopholes to circumvent these protections. We urge the Commission to move swiftly to finalize this rulemaking and protect the free and open internet.”
In September 2023, Senators Markey and Wyden led 25 of their Senate colleagues in writing to the FCC urging it to reclassify broadband as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act and restore net neutrality protections.
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