Is Net Neutrality Really Neutral?

The Internet – it just works, right?  Well it’s not really that simple, especially when Washington has its hands in it. 

Recently, three members of an unelected five-person federal commission approved rules that will likely make Internet service slower and more expensive.  Worse, the impact will be felt especially hard in small towns, farming communities, and other underserved areas whose residents depend on the current deployment of faster Internet service.

This is the result of the Federal Communications Commission’s regrettable decision on February 26 to begin regulating our Internet and wireless service with part of a 1934 law meant for rotary telephones.  While the FCC will not make the plan publicly available for weeks, enough details have come out to see why this action represents an alarming shift toward government control over the Internet and what we do online.

Given the Internet’s importance in rural communities, this news should be a call to action for our Members of Congress.  The Internet is increasingly important to our way of life – from satellite-based precision agriculture to real-time tornado warnings. Revitalization of our rural and underserved communities will be heavily dependent upon high speed connectivity for telemedicine, distance learning, and business models in the future.

Under the FCC’s new rules, which are referred to as “Title II” as they come from that section of the 1934 law, the federal government for the first time will have the ability to regulate the complex pricing system for transmission of data over the Internet.  Such regulations are unprecedented and will very likely lead to more problems than solutions.  

One of the dissenting FCC officials said that this action “welcomes litigation… as an appropriate means for regulating the Internet economy.”  Assuming this is true, the last thing a rapidly evolving and innovative internet needs is lawyers testing every new development in court.

The FCC’s action also gives state and local officials increased ability to raise taxes and fees on online services.  One study estimates that Americans would potentially have to pay up to $11 billion in new online fees. 

Yet these antiquated rules are what the FCC decided to use to regulate not only today’s high-speed Internet but also emerging technologies that will eventually make current communication as outdated as the Morse code.

Eight months ago, we warned the FCC that approval of these Title II Internet regulations would cause significant harm to Americans in rural areas.  “The rigid regulations and requirements mandated under Title II classification would restrict broadband development and hamper deployment of high-speed Internet access to rural areas,” we wrote.

Clearly, the FCC did not take into account the needs of rural Americans when it approved this policy.

That is why it is now up to our elected officials in Congress to correct this mistake. Given the interference with our online activities, our ability to access the Internet, and our online privacy, Congress must step in and correct this problem.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this recent FCC action is that it completely undercuts the country’s strong tradition of viewing the Internet as far too important to be used for political games. President Clinton’s administration came out squarely opposed to federal micromanagement of Internet technology in a widely praised 1997 policy. President Bush continued this stance, with Republicans and Democrats alike voicing support.

The Grange supports innovation that moves rural America into the world of access to high speed connectivity.   More federal government micromanagement would slow this down. If a handful of unelected officials can radically change Internet regulation to disadvantage rural America, Congress should take action to reassert a commonsense policy. In addition, if the news reports of political pressure on the FCC Board are correct, then the functioning of this politically independent commission needs to be reviewed by Congress.

Access to reliable high-speed Internet service is critical to continued success and sustainability of the country’s rural, agricultural, and underserved communities.  Congress should reject this outdated regulation and support action that will continue the effort to expand rural Internet access.