Republicans in Congress try to kill FCC's broadband discrimination rules

A US law required the FCC to issue rules "preventing digital discrimination of access based on income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion, or national origin," and gave the FCC some leeway in how to implement them. The resulting FCC rules let consumers file complaints about alleged discrimination and define the elements the FCC would examine when investigating whether an Internet service provider should be punished for discrimination.

The FCC defined digital discrimination of access as "policies or practices, not justified by genuine issues of technical or economic feasibility, that differentially impact consumers' access to broadband Internet access service based on their income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion, or national origin or are intended to have such differential impact."

I very much doubt ISPs are in the habit to turn down expansion in any area (and therefore more money/maintain their regional monopoly) because of the race of people living there. It seems like a way to force them to build out in non-white neighborhoods over other places even if it doesn’t make economic sense.

For one, that’s racism against white people by another name. We see that a lot now but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fight it.

For two, it’s just an incredible waste of resources at the FCC. There are better ways to guarantee good internet for everyone instead.

That's like climate denialism. There is a documented 30-year history of ISPs not expanding their network while claiming subsidies for exactly that: https://newnetworks.com/bookofbrokenpromises.htm .

...even if it doesn’t make economic sense

You're conveniently ignoring the "not justified by genuine issues of technical or economic feasibility" in your own goddamn quote.

You are conflating two things.

I haven't read the book but does the data show they did it in a discriminatory manner, that is they didn't expand to minority areas even when it made business sense?

Those proposed changes are not racist, they are simply and blindly anti-poor.

You're doubting something that you made up.

>It seems like a way to force them to build out in non-white neighborhoods over other places even if it doesn’t make economic sense.

No, it doesn't.

> For one, that’s racism against white people by another name. We see that a lot now but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t fight it.

The thought of a person in 2024 who believes that the US government is systematically working to be racist against white people would be hilarious, if it were not so sad.

> There are better ways to guarantee good internet for everyone instead.

Like what?

This is the FCC press release on the announcement.[0] You might want to read it. Here are the actual rules[1]. You might want to read those too. And think about how peculiar it is that, out of all the groups defined, that you've chosen to focus exclusively on race. You know what the say. A man who has lived his entire life of privilege feels persecution in equality.

[0] https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-398477A1.txt

[1] https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/FCC-23-100A1.pdf