Don’t Forget Rural America In Open Internet Debate

The Federal Communications Commission’s proposal to reclassify broadband as an information service – the status it had for nearly two decades under which the internet grew and flourished — has received over 20 million comments expressing views on both sides of the issue. Amid all the noise, it’s important to ensure that one aspect of the rulemaking not be overlooked: its huge impact on rural America.

The rural issue is at the heart of the Commission’s concerns . In announcing the "Restoring Internet Freedom" rulemaking, the FCC stated that "[o]ur actions today continue our critical work to promote broadband deployment to rural consumers and infrastructure investment throughout our nation, to brighten the future of innovation both within networks and at their edge, and to close the digital divide." And in July, the Commission declared August to be "Rural Broadband Month" at the FCC.

Full Story: https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/08/22/rural-america-open-internet/#2110f4583b03