FACT SHEET: National Security and Public Safety Impacts of Restoring Broadband Oversight

“The pandemic made it crystal clear that broadband is not nice-to-have, but need-to-have for everyone, everywhere. The FCC has a responsibility to respond to this new reality by restoring broadband oversight and adopting net neutrality protections that will allow the expert agency on communications to secure our networks and protect public safety.”
– FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel

Overview: Currently, no federal agency can effectively monitor or address broadband outages that threaten jobs, education, and public safety.  

And while the FCC has acted on a bipartisan basis to secure our communications networks against companies controlled by hostile foreign governments, the lack of specific authority over broadband leaves open a national security loophole.

Reclassifying internet access as a Title II service would allow the FCC to require broadband providers to report and address internet outages, like the FCC does for voice service today, and ensure that response personnel know when service is impacted, especially during emergencies.  Reclassification would also allow the FCC to deny companies controlled by hostile foreign governments access to our broadband networks.

In its remand of the FCC’s decision to roll back net neutrality, the D.C. Circuit Court found the agency’s “disregard of its duty to analyze the impact of the public safety renders its decision arbitrary and capricious.” Chairwoman Rosenworcel agrees and her proposal, if adopted by the Commission, would kick start the process to rectify this abdication of national security and public safety oversight.

How Restoring FCC Oversight Would Improve National Security and Public Safety
 
· Secure Broadband Networks – Ensure the FCC can deny companies controlled by hostile foreign governments access to our broadband networks. 
· Internet Outage Oversight – Bolster the FCC’s authority to require internet service providers to report and fix internet outages like it does for legacy voice providers. 
· Resilient Broadband Networks – Support the agency’s ongoing work to enhance the resiliency of broadband networks, helping them withstand and recover from natural disasters and mitigate other network vulnerabilities. 
· Public Outage Information – Allow the FCC to ensure consumers, local public safety officials, and other partners have access to public safety resources and information. 
· Supporting Public Safety Officials – Enable the Commission to support and oversee the adequate provision of broadband services to first responders for public safety purposes and prevent throttling of their emergency communications.
· Enhance Emergency Alerts – Ensure the agency can require broadband service providers to transmit emergency alerts to their subscribers, improving the effectiveness of these life-saving notices. 

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This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).