CWA: FCC’s Call to Clarify Broadband Issues Will Move Build-out Forward

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Federal Communications Commission has productively pushed for a resolution of the confused “net neutrality” debate which has stalled our national build out and caused the digital divide to deepen. The United States must catch up with the rest of the world in terms of broadband build-out and access to 21st century communications.

The FCC’s processes and actions have brought majority support for its open Internet or net neutrality principles: free speech, no blocking, no discrimination and transparency. The Communications Workers of America and other organizations in the progressive community including National civil rights, environmental and Labor groups have called for legislation to implement these principles and make Universal Service Funds available for build-out. We reiterate that call now.

As part of its rulemaking process, the FCC is seeking data and input in several key areas, to better define and clarify unreasonable discrimination, managed services and elements of mobile/wireless networks.

CWA supports efforts which encourage building out the high speed networks that our economy and millions of Americans need. However, we believe the U.S. Congress should move forward where this is a broad consensus on rules of the road for the wireline Internet while continuing to clarify the record on emerging issues.

The communications network in the United States is far behind that of the rest of the world. That’s why we support targeted legislation to enshrine the FCC net neutrality/open Internet principles, speed up build out and close the digital divide that affects Americans in poorer urban areas and rural communities.

CWA has called for 1 gigabyte of broadband service for anchor institutions - hospitals, schools and libraries -- in every community, especially rural and poorer urban areas. That’s the only way that applications like medical monitoring and diagnosis, which have been used so effectively around the world for more than a decade, can finally benefit citizens in the United States.

Millions of Americans remain shut out of the benefits of the Internet Age. We need action to build a true 21st century Internet.