Hill Event Shows Labor and Civil Rights Groups Agree on Policies to Protect an Open Internet

The Congressional Black Caucus Institute along with the Communications Workers of America hosted a broadband forum on Capitol Hill on September 14 to discuss policies to expand broadband deployment and adoption and how to move forward to protect an open Internet.

Since the FCC released its National Broadband Plan last spring, there has been too little discussion and precious little action taken to implement the Plan to ensure affordable, ubiquitous high-speed broadband to all Americans. Why is this? Unfortunately, the debate over net neutrality has taken up practically all of the broadband policy bandwidth, leaving little room to move ahead on almost anything else.

That's why CWA joined with the Congressional Black Caucus Institute to host a forum to re-focus broadband policy on the critical need to move forward closing the digital divide, upgrading our networks to global standards, and finding consensus on policies that protect an open Internet. Participants all agreed that it is time for Congress to pass narrowly targeted legislation to give the FCC authority to enforce its Open Internet principles, to use Universal Service Funds to support broadband, and to launch nationwide digital literacy programs to spur broadband adoption.

In his keynote address, CWA President Larry Cohen emphasized the critical importance of closing the digital divide and moving forward with the National Broadband Plan. The Congressional Black Caucus has played an important leadership role on these issues and we will continue to look to the CBC to put these concerns front and center in telecommunications policy. Cohen noted that there is a growing consensus in support of legislation that would affirm the FCC's Open Internet principles, which have a proven track record. Open Internet legislation should also require transparency so consumers know the performance, network management principles, and price of their broadband service; and add a nondiscrimination principle that bars exclusive contracts between Internet providers and application companies. In light of concerns that the Comcast case has raised about FCC jurisdiction over broadband, the legislation should make clear that the FCC has authority to use the Universal Service Fund to promote the deployment of broadband. These common-sense actions will allow America to catch up to the rest of the world. Cohen noted that the United States currently lags behind much of the developed world in broadband speeds and penetration, including South Korea, most of the Scandinavian countries and even Romania.

Engaging in a colloquy with Blair Levin, former director of the FCC's National Broadband Initiative, Cohen and Levin agreed that reaching consensus in the current net neutrality debate has been difficult because advocates take their opposing viewpoints to hypothetical extremes, making it impossible to deliberate and reach any practical solution.

Blair Levin addressed the future of universal service. Right now, a significant portion of the $8 billion federal Universal Service Fund supports voice telephony to a very small number of very remote homes. Levin advocated prompt action on the National Broadband Plan recommendations — which CWA supports — to shift those dollars to building broadband to the 7 million homes with no broadband connection, to bringing 1 gigabyte broadband capacity to anchor institutions in every community, and to implementing digital literacy programs to spur broadband adoption. Levin noted inefficiencies in current U.S. spectrum allocation, and if current conditions continue, our wireless system will face a spectrum crunch that will keep us even further behind the development of the rest of the world. Finally, we must focus on digital literacy and adoption, because in the future "everyone is a knowledge worker".

Nicol Turner-Lee from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies discussed making digital literacy a priority in the national broadband discussion. One-hundred million homes do not currently subscribe to broadband service, and America's competitiveness will depend on broadband adoption as well as deployment. The results of a national minority broadband adoption study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic studies show not only that is race still a factor when measuring broadband adoption, but education and income factors widen the gap even further. Ninety-one percent of African Americans and 89% of Hispanics earning more than $50,000 regularly use the Internet, but that number drops to 75% for African Americans and Hispanics who earn between $20,000 and $50,000. The study also shows that the overwhelming way minorities access broadband is through mobile devices. She argues that regulating wireless will therefore disproportionately affect minority users.

Maynard Scarborough of One Economy emphasized the importance of digital literacy, especially in minority communities. One Economy was awarded $28.5 million in a sustainable broadband adoption grant to implement a comprehensive program of computer training, wireless Internet access, broadband awareness marketing, and online content and applications to residents of 159 affordable and public housing developments and low-income communities in 50 cities and towns across 31 states and the District of Columbia. One Economy's digital literacy program will be delivered by community-based chapters of partners, including the NAACP, the National Urban League, League of United Latin American Citizens, LaRaza, and the Asian American Justice Center. The end-game for this effort is a belief that improving digital literacy can lead to greater social equity, and more and better jobs.

Julius Hollis, Chairman and Founder of the Alliance for Digital Equality concurred that digital empowerment is the new frontier in efforts to achieve economic equality. Hollis noted that the proposal to reclassify broadband under heavily regulated Title II rules could hinder broadband development and reduce broadband investments which will only further widen the economic divide. Hollis urged Congress to pass narrowly targeted legislation to "define the rules of the road" for broadband.

The final panel focused on protecting an open Internet. Panelists Debbie Goldman from CWA, David Hill from Verizon, and Dean Garfield of the Information Technology Council called on Congress to pass legislation that would protect an open Internet by giving the FCC authority to enforce these principles: no blocking of Internet content, applications, services or non-harmful devices, subject to reasonable network management; no unreasonable or unjust discrimination that harms competition or consumers, subject to reasonable network management; no exclusive contracts; full transparency over wired and wireless networks; and clarification that the FCC has authority to use the Universal Service Fund to support broadband build-out and programs to encourage broadband adoption and use by low-income households. As Goldman pointed out, at a time of 10 percent unemployment, it's absolutely crucial to pass open Internet legislation that creates appropriate incentives for private sector investment and job creation.

Support an open Internet - Speak Out (Speed Matters)

National Minority Broadband Adoption: Comparative Trends in Adoption, Acceptance and Use (Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies)