On net neutrality, fast lanes, potholes and the Internet's future

Rivkah Sass has one of the better job descriptions you’ll ever hear. “It is my mission to provide access to information for people, in a way that can transform their lives,” she says.

That’s the Lord’s work, as far as Bites is concerned. And the institution she’s in charge of—she’s director of the Sacramento Public Library—is the Temple.

Sass has been successful in her career because she got a quality public education and, of course, because of public libraries, where she realized early on that she “could read and discover absolutely anything.” Libraries helped to put her on an equal footing with kids in more affluent, cosmopolitan communities. (Recall that Andrew Carnegie, patron saint of public libraries, called them the “people’s universities.”)

Fast forward a few years. Libraries are different in a lot of ways. There may not be as many books on the shelves, but they still help to equalize access to knowledge, especially through access to the Internet. That may sound highfalutin. After all, there’s some pretty un-edifying stuff being browsed on public-library computers on any given day. But for Sacramento County residents who have no Internet access at home, the library can be a lifeline.

And Sass says that mission is threatened by the possible end of “net neutrality.”

“Libraries have always been about providing access to people. The idea of putting limits on that access is scary,” Sass says.

On September 24, U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui is holding a public forum on net neutrality, here in Sacramento. She’ll be joined by current Federal Communications Commission commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel. Aside from having fantastic names, Clyburn and Rosenworcel will be key votes on the FCC’s net-neutrality rules, to be decided later this year.

Sass will be at the forum to testify, along with other locals like David Lowe, president of KVIE Public Television, and Chris Kelly, former Facebook executive and Sacramento Kings minority owner, among others.

The FCC’s proposed rule, put forth by Chairman Tom Wheeler, would set enforceable rules on how Internet service providers manage traffic on their networks. The proposal would also allow ISPs—like Comcast, Time Warner Cable and AT&T—to create fast lanes for certain preferred content and companies.

Internet providers want to be able to make deals with some companies—think Netflix— to charge premium prices to “prioritize” their content. Consumer advocates and folks like Sass fear the end of net neutrality will set up a two-tiered system (or three-tiered or worse) for Internet access. Those who can pay the highest prices will get on the information superhighway. Those who can’t will be stuck in the Internet slow lane. “That lane is going to be rutted and full of potholes. Our ability to provide access will be compromised if it becomes a pay-to-play system,” Sass says.

Critics of the paid-prioritization plan also say it will make it harder for start-ups and small companies to innovate and compete with bigger, deep-pocketed companies.

Since July, the FCC has received more than 3 million comments on the new rules (thanks in part to encouragement and agitation by satirist John Oliver, whose audience briefly broke the FCC website). That surpassed the previous record of 1.4 million comments to the FCC, which flooded in after Super Bowl viewers caught a glimpse of Janet Jackson’s nipple shield.

Wheeler argues his plan would maintain the open Internet we have today, and would allow Internet companies to invest in a faster, more robust service. And Wheeler says he supports standards to protect competition and free speech, and prevent Internet providers from giving priority service to companies that they themselves own. Comcast, for example, owns a jaw-dropping array of TV networks, stations and other media properties, including NBC, Hulu, and Universal Pictures. That list will only grow longer if Comcast is successful at acquiring Time Warner Cable—pending approval from the FCC and the Department of Justice.

Matsui co-sponsored legislation with Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy to force the FCC to ban Internet fast lanes. The bill is not moving forward in the legislative process; it’s more of a message bill. The five-member FCC board is expected to vote on net-neutrality rules by the end of the year. Observers expect the two Republican commissioners—Ajit Pai and Michael O’Reilly—to vote against any new regulations on net neutrality. That means Internet companies would be free to create fast lanes and make paid-prioritization deals. Any tighter regulation will likely come from an agreement between Wheeler and the other Democrats, Rosenworcel and Clyburn.

The net-neutrality forum will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, September 24, in hearing room 4202 in the Capitol. Seating is limited in the room, so stream it live at www.matsui.house.gov.

While you still can.