Category: Net Neutrality

Senator Tammy Duckworth on Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality, Tammy Duckworth

We reached out to Senator Tammy Duckworth to encourage the Senator to support Net Neutrality. Senator Duckworth opposes FCC’s decision to repeal Net Neutrality. In 2018, Senator Duckworth voted in favor of S.J.Res. 52 to nullify the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission entitled “Restoring Internet Freedom.”

Dear Neighbor,

Thank you for contacting me to share your views on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) repeal of Open Internet Rule, commonly referred to as net neutrality. As a strong supporter of an open and fair internet, I appreciate you taking the time to make me aware of your concerns on this important issue.

On December 14, 2017, the FCC adopted the Restoring Internet Freedom Order, undoing the 2015 Open Internet Rule that reclassified broadband internet service providers (ISPs) as common carriers and established enforceable net neutrality rules. The FCC recently announced the repeal is scheduled to become effective June 11, 2018.

I strongly oppose FCC Chairman Pai’s decision to repeal net neutrality. That is why I joined Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts in introducing S.J.Res. 52, a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution of disapproval that would repeal the FCC’s recent decision and restore net neutrality protections. On May 16, 2018, the Senate passed S.J.Res. 52 by a vote of 52 to 47. The resolution now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.  I proudly voted in favor of the resolution because I believe net neutrality protections are vital to ensuring every American consumer, small business and startup company has access to a level playing field online.

As a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology, which oversees the FCC, I will continue call out any action that would reduce or impair consumer access to the wealth of knowledge and opportunity that an open internet supports. Congress must not allow cable or telephone companies to act as gatekeepers of the content consumers may receive by engaging in paid prioritization, blocking or throttling. These restrictive practices not only harm consumers, but threaten the very freedom of the internet.

Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. If you would like more information on my work in the Senate, please visit my website at www.duckworth.senate.gov. You can find upcoming events in the state, sign up for my newsletter, access my voting record and see what I am doing to address today’s most important issues. I hope that you will continue to share your views and opinions with me and let me know whenever I may be of assistance to you.

Sincerely, 

Tammy Duckworth
United States Senator


Email from Senator Tammy Duckworth. Sent to IFMC on Dec 14, 2018
Net Neutrality Logo

Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality

What is Net Neutrality?

Network neutrality – an idea that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should treat all data that travels over their networks fairly, without improper discrimination in favor of particular apps, sites or services. We believe, as many do, that speech, communication, should be able to flow without hindrance. What life looks like without Net Neutrality is something we already have with mobile/cellular phones, which is blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization of Internet traffic.

See below for examples.

Here is a video to help with the explanation.

Does Net Neutrality reduce investment in broadband?

This is an argument that some companies, like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, and more12, and recent FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a former Verizon attorney3, were citing as a reason for repealing Net Neutrality. That Net Neutrality was a heavy handed regulation that was stopping investment in expanding broadband.4

Recent reports in 2019,5 have said that after the repeal of Net Neutrality, there was a decrease in investment, thus showing that the large companies like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast and FCC Chair Ajit Pai were wrong and the repealing of the regulation has done the opposite effect.6

Small ISPs said that while Net Neutrality rules would increase some costs, but it helps them with competition and keeps them in business.7. In fact some 40 smaller ISPs across the country pleaded with the FCC to not repeal Net Neutrality.8

Why should I care?

You should care because it’s your money. Without Net Neutrality protections, companies will charge you more to access certain sites, throttle you, limit how much you can use, and possibly block you from accessing certain sites. We don’t want ISPs acting as gatekeepers, making special deals with a few companies and inhibiting new competition, innovation, and expression.

If we don’t support Net Neutrality, it’ll look like this. The future, in this case, is not pretty.

Examples of Net Neutrality Violations

There has been a number of Net Neutrality violations over the years, some are current and others have been resolved. However, since the FCC repealed Net Neutrality rules, some companies have taken advantaged of the regulation-less situation.

You can see many examples here.

Throttling

Verizon throttling Santa Clara County Firefighters in California

Almost all the companies that engage in bandwidth caps, also engage in throttling. AT&T9, Verizon10, T-Mobile11, and more.

Bandwidth Caps

Many companies, like Comcast12, Verizon1314, AT&T15 engage in providing bandwidth caps, even though many companies originally did not have one.

Despite wired line services like fiber optics and such being nearly unlimited16. Companies engage in this behavior as justification to charge more and oversubscribe the pipelines.17 Many leaks and more have proved the bandwidth caps are just a cash grab for companies in these monopoly markets like McHenry County.18

A major problem with the bandwidth caps, other than increased costs for consumers is, nobody is checking and regulating to ensure that bandwidth measurements are being done correctly. Customers have no recourse to verify or validate the claims the companies make about overages.19

Tiered Bandwidth

This section is about companies that are practicing anti-competitive practices that favor their own streaming services over other streaming services like, Netflix, Hulu, and more.

Recent reports indicate that AT&T now excludes their DirecTV Now service from bandwidth caps, while penalizing services like Netflix, Hulu, and more.20

Blocking of services

We have received reports that Charter/Spectrum blocks VPN. This prevents our residents from working from home, unless they spend more money by upgrading to Charter’s business class service.

Madison River (now CenturyLink), an Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) company in North Carolina blocked their customers using Voice Over-IP, Vonage Services.

What can we do here in McHenry County?

We can do several different things.

First, we can contact our elected officials at the Federal and State Level and tell them to support Net Neutrality.

Secondly, we can build our own community fiber network, this would ensure that our internet is net neutral. This concept is based on an ALCU legal theory, that if we own our network, we can ensure Net Neutrality at the local level.21

Third, we can encourage the development of smaller Internet Service Providers by streamlining, being pro-active, and removing red tape. Developing smaller ISPs will create more competition enabling us to have more choices.

As part of this, we can encourage their development by adopting a few different policies at the municipal, township, and county level (learn more here):

  • Implement Dig-Once policies.
  • Streamline and standardize right of way permitting
  • Reduce and standardize fees on right of way and pole attachments fees
  • Implement “One-Touch Make-Ready” policies and eliminate the need for make-ready
  • Publicize procedures and time frames for permitting and inspections
  • Allow network operators to contract pre-approved third-party inspectors to speed process and
    reduce local burdens.