Title II ReclassificationWhat it means to rural communities

Why it Matters to Rural

Communities:•Broadband Deployment and

Adoption

•Preserve an Open Internet

•Broadband access is the most important and transformative communication network of our time--one that needs a robust regulator

Reclassification: What’s At Stake

Accelerating BB access and adoption in rural communities

Connecting low income US residents, Native communities and residents with disabilities

Supporting robust use of BB by small business to drive productivity, growth and continued innovation

Strengthening public safety communications

Cybersecurity

Consumer protection, including transparency and disclosure

Consumer privacy

Separate is not Equal!

Which “America”Do YOU Want to

Live In?

“Broadband can be the great enabler that restores America's economic well-being and opens doors of opportunity for all Americans

to pass through, no matter who they are, where they live, or the particular

circumstances of their individual lives.”

— FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, 2009

“Only about 5 percent of U.S. households don't have access to broadband, and many of those households are in rural areas... It's at least possible that they don't want all the

encumbrances and accoutrements of the modern Internet Age.... Even if we forced it on them, they probably wouldn't take it."

-Senator Joe Barton, 2010

BB Deployment and Adoption• Without affordable, high-speed BB access to all people, we

are contributing to the creation of 2 distinct ‘Americas’

• BB access means jobs, economic prosperity, democratic participation and global competitiveness

• Biggest hurdle to households without adoption is price

• 98 million people in US don’t have access to high-speed BB (majority are poor, rural, migrants, Native Americans and people of color)

• Only 31% of rural Americans have BB at home

• 35% of HH making under $25k/yr. have BB compared to 70% of HH making $50k/yr.--this divide is only growing

• Avg. price for internet is $40/month--can be up to double in rural areas

What is an Open InternetAn Open Internet (also called Net Neutrality) ensures that Internet

users can access any website, service, or application of their choice without interference or discrimination by the Internet Service Provider (“ISP”).

This means that once a consumer buys an Internet service connection, he or she can choose to access any content without fear that the ISP will block or impair access to it.

An Open Internet prevents ISPs from censoring content for any reason or giving preferential treatment to any specific website, service, or application based merely on its content, message, or ownership.

This non-discrimination concept has been the guiding principle for the Internet since its inception, and is the foundation for the innovation, economic empowerment and democratic engagement that the Internet has made possible for communities at the margins.

• Online/Mobile Activism (texting, online petitions, etc.)

• Maintaining Connections to home and family (Skype, VoIP, etc.)

• Small Business Development

• Ability to access relevant news and information

• Ability for immigrants to support family and friends in country of origin

What’s at Stake for Rural Communities

Do People Want an Open Internet?

1: Over the last six months, the FCC has collecting public comments on whether it should protect Net Neutrality. When the docket closed at the end of April, more than 85% of comments were in support of strong FCC authority to protect Net Neutrality.

2: The Media Action Grassroots Network (of which many Rural Broadband Policy Group members are a part) collected 370 Digital inclusion Pledges from organizations across the country. Many were from rural areas. Collectively, these pledges represented 1 million people who said they wanted Universal Access and an Open Internet.

Don’t let the Telco’s fool you, people across the US have said, Yes!

What You Can Do•Help demystify Net Neutrality and

Reclassification. Talk to your friends and family about it in plain terms. Let them know the real costs.

•Call your Congressional Representative. Let them know you want an Open Internet

•Get involved in advocacy efforts (mag-net.org)

Contact Information

amalia deloney, Center for Media Justice,

Media Action Grassroots Network

www.mag-net.org

www.centerformediajustice.org