In December 2023, on behalf of the County of Santa Clara and the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District, we submitted a comment letter supporting the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed rules relating to Safeguarding and Securing the Open Internet.
First, the Proposed Rules would impose specific conduct rules that prohibit Internet service providers (ISPs) that provide broadband Internet access service from blocking, throttling, or engaging in paid or affiliated prioritization of Internet traffic. Second, the Proposed Rules would adopt a general conduct standard prohibiting ISPs from engaging in “practices that unreasonably interfere with or unreasonably disadvantage the ability of consumers to reach the Internet content, services, and applications of their choosing or of edge providers to access consumers using the Internet.” And third, the Proposed Rules reestablish the FCC’s authority over broadband internet access service by classifying it as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Communications Act and providing the FCC with the authority necessary to safeguard the open internet, advance national security, and protect public safety.
