The Federal Communications Commission is launching an inquiry into how it can “prevent internet providers from engaging in digital discrimination.”
The agency was under a directive from Congress related to the tens of billions of dollars being handed out for broadband deployment and adoption in the Biden administration‘s infrastructure package.
“Your ZIP code shouldn’t determine your access to broadband,“ FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in outlining the agenda for the agency‘s March meeting, when there will be a vote on launching the notice of inquiry. Rosenworcel has already launched a cross-agency task force to work on the discrimination issue.
Also on the March agenda is a proposed rulemaking looking at how the FCC can speed broadband deployment and lower buildout costs by expediting pole-attachment disputes, with clear rules for when and how utility companies that are broadband “attachers” share the cost of pole replacement if that is needed to accommodate attachment requests.
Charter Communications, for one, was pleased the FCC was weighing into the pole-attachment issue. “Pole attachment regulation significantly impacts the length of time it takes to connect families and small businesses to high-speed internet service, especially in rural areas that require access to multiple poles for every home served,” the company said in a statement. “The FCC initiating this proceeding will be a critical step to achieving 100% connectivity in the U.S., because when poles can be accessed in a timely, fair and cost-effective way, more people get connected faster.” ■
