IIA Gives FCC 10 Reasons to Focus on Digital Divide Instead of Net Neutrality
Calling net neutrality “a distraction,” the Internet Innovation Alliance today listed ten reasons why the Federal Communications Commission should focus on closing the digital divide instead of creating new regulations.
With their list, “10 Reasons Why New Internet Regulations Impede Common Goals of Connecting All Americans and Closing Digital Divide,” IIA outlines what they see as the real issues that should be addressed when discussing broadband adoption. According to their list,
- The net neutrality debate, which only concerns those already online, is a distraction from creating an effective National Broadband Plan. The people who have the most to lose from this balancing act are the socially and economically disenfranchised – members of rural, low-income, urban, tribal, minority, non-English speaking, unserved and underserved populations.
- Experts on the digital divide have not cited “lack of net neutrality regulations” as either a cause or a cure for race or income-based differences in broadband adoption. The current net neutrality war that has erupted in Washington, DC has very little to do with the interests of the unserved and underserved.
- Today’s open Internet is making possible huge innovation. We reduce the possibilities and raise barriers if we don’t give everyone access to smart networks.
As the deadline approaches for the FCC to issue the national broadband plan in March 2010, organizations are amping up their outreach to the FCC and to the public about what elements the plan should contain. Visit IIA’s website to read the rest of the list.
Category: News | Tags: Digital Divide, FCC, Net Neutrality
About the Author Lesly Simmons is a freelance writer and interactive communications and events specialist based in San Francisco, California.
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“The net neutrality debate, which only concerns those already online, is a distraction from creating an effective National Broadband Plan. The people who have the most to lose from this balancing act are the socially and economically disenfranchised”
Hogwash. The FCC has 2,500 employees, and the National Broadband Plan team isn't even working on the Network Neutrality NPRM. In fact, the FCC is not really “working” on it in any sense; the NPRM is out for comments, and the FCC won't even turn its attention to this until later this year.
But this is all a smokescreen from the Bell and Cable-funded IIA.
The simple fact is, Net Neutrality sure does matter to the un- and under-served. Despite the rhetoric, deployment isn't the problem. Price is somewhat of a barrier to some, but the big Bell and Cable companies flat out refuse to compete on price, even as their cost decline and profits rise. The biggest barrier to adoption is simply interest in broadband. And ensuring that content remains open and diverse is a key to helping solve the digital divide.
Honestly, all this uncritical acceptance of Bell-funded propaganda on Blackweb 2.0 is really getting old. For an alternative perspective, check out this from Bruce Dixon:
http://blackagendareport.com/?q=content/how-cor…