San Francisco is on a mission to blunt newly-appointed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s efforts to roll back net neutrality, which critics say would end the open and fair internet as we know it. In a news release last week, Mayor Edwin Lee and Supervisor Mark Farrell called it a top priority and laid out some of their efforts to close San Francisco’s digital divide and ensure open and affordable internet access for all San Franciscans.
“Pai and his Republican allies in Congress are moving at record speeds to roll back existing consumer protections and privacy regulations,” the two write.
“First, Congress and the FCC collaborated to repeal broadband privacy rules. Now, Internet service providers can sell your personal data to the highest bidder. This outrageous move puts the interests of big business over those of everyday Americans.”
As Lee and Farrell note, Pai’s next major move will be aimed at ending net neutrality rules. You can hear Pai’s perspective here.
“Now, more than ever, cities across the country must stand up and fight for equity,” Lee and Farrell continue. “For more than two years, we have been working diligently to design and deploy a citywide municipal fiber network that will offer more options than currently available and ensure all of San Francisco is connected to a fast and affordable Internet…
We have been building support by meeting directly with the community about their priorities and values through San Franciscans for Municipal Fiber. We have enlisted the help of the brightest academic, business, and privacy experts from around the country to answer key questions as we finalize this undertaking.”
Read the entire statement on San Francisco’s fight for an open and fair internet.