Nation’s Mayors Weigh In on Net Neutrality Debate, Back Free and Open Internet

The nation’s mayors urged Congress, President Barack Obama and the FCC to preserve a “free and open internet,” but backed off Monday from an initial proposal that also backed reclassifying broadband as a telecom service. Under the resolution approved at its annual meeting in Dallas the U.S. Conference of Mayors said it “supports comprehensive nondiscrimination as a key principle for any FCC rulemaking” and it backs “securing a commitment to transparency and the free flow of information over the internet, including no blocking of lawful websites and no unreasonable discrimination of lawful network traffic.” The resolution (http://bit.ly/UBM8xv)asks the White House and Congress to support those principles, and, “if necessary, use their lawmaking power to enshrine access to a free and open Internet and give the FCC a clear mandate.” The resolution passed unanimously, said a news release (http://bit.ly/1m6Upzd) from San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.

The resolution’s initial version had backed the “reclassification of broadband internet services from information services to telecommunications services” to clarify the FCC’s authority over net neutrality, but the language was struck in the final version approved by a voice vote. The resolution -- which combined two proposed versions, one offered by the mayors of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Tuscon, and one offered by the mayor of Madison, Wisconsin -- was in the end sponsored by 17 mayors, including those of New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Portland, Oregon, and as well as the original sponsors.

Free Press Policy Director Matt Wood called the measure significant because it “states loud and clear the mayors’ belief in the power of the Internet for innovation and free expression. We can’t afford to let broadband providers stand in the way of vital democratic discourse and commercial activity, but that’s just what the rules proposed by [FCC] Chairman Tom Wheeler at this point would allow.” Supporters have told us the mayors’ stance may carry some influence despite the debate’s partisan nature because the mayors represent major population centers and their stance gives an on-the-ground view of the stakes (CD June 12 p10). Officials with NCTA and the Telecommunications Industry Association, which backs legislation opposing the reclassification of broadband (CD May 30 p6), had no comment.

"Net neutrality is critical for an innovation economy to thrive, because if the broadband companies could choose what web pages you can access, the Internet would lose its power as the most powerful communication tool we've ever known,” Lee said in the release. “There are serious implications for commerce and democracy, and we're making sure U.S. cities have a voice in this fight.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, said in the release: “We simply cannot afford to allow large Internet Service Providers, which control large segments of the broadband market, like AT&T, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon to reserve the fastest loading speeds for those who can pay for it. I wholeheartedly support this resolution and thank my colleagues for their leadership on this critical issue.” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray would not comment. All three are in nonpartisan offices, but have been involved in Democratic politics. “Internet freedom and transparency is in danger from a new kind of discrimination -- where big gets priority over little; where the establishment dominates and the newcomer doesn’t stand a chance,” Lee and Murray wrote in a joint op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1l4vdJv) June 19. “Innovation relies on a free and open Internet, one that does not allow for individual arrangements for priority treatment, also known as paid prioritization,” they wrote.

The resolution says “since the beginning of the internet, broadband internet access services have continued to invest in a single infrastructure ... without resorting to the practice of prioritization for users who can afford to pay the most,” and that “preventing access to any lawful websites, providing slower speeds for services, or redirecting users from one website to a competing website creates asymmetrical access.” Garcetti and Lee had previously told us net neutrality is key to fostering the innovation to fuel local economies. The resolution addressed what the mayors see as the debate’s economic stakes for cities, saying, “startups are the engine of an innovation economy, yet may not have the cash flow to pay for paid prioritization. They will “therefore be unable to compete with large companies to deliver content to customers, impeding startup growth, thus limiting economic development and the creation of jobs.”