WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 4, 2015): Today, the D.C. Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on the appeal of the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision to reclassify the Internet as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act. In August, the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) filed an amicus curiae brief pointing out that the FCC’s imposition of Title II regulation on broadband is likely to reverse the positive trends in broadband adoption. MMTC cautions that if the Court decides to uphold the Commission’s ruling, broadband access will be more costly and less accessible, with a significant and disparate impact on low-income and historically disadvantaged populations.
“The FCC’s failure to meaningfully consider the impact of its open Internet rules on the tens of millions of citizens who have economic and social barriers to broadband access was arbitrary and capricious,” stated MMTC President and CEO Kim Keenan. “Our nation has enjoyed explosive Internet innovation, growth, and adoption for decades without Title II. We need to ensure that every American, rich and poor, old and young, urban and rural, is connected. Vacating the FCC’s Order to reclassify broadband access under Title II will serve the best interests of consumers, and particularly the best interests of disadvantaged communities that remain on the wrong side of the digital divide.”
MMTC agrees with the Commission and other parties that the Internet must be free from blocking, throttling, and illegal paid prioritization—all of which are core tenets of net neutrality. However, MMTC urges a solution consistent with Section 706 of the 1996 Telecommunications Act rather than the course taken by the FCC. See MMTC Amicus Curiae Brief, as filed: http://mmtconline.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/MMTC-Brief-as-Filed.pdf
About MMTC:
The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council (MMTC) is a non-partisan, national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving equal opportunity and civil rights in the mass media, telecommunications and broadband industries, and closing the digital divide. MMTC is generally recognized as the nation’s leading advocate for minority advancement in communications.
