OTI Petitions FCC to Restore Net Neutrality, Strengthen Lifeline

On Monday, OTI filed a petition asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reconsider its Oct. 2020 order that reaffirmed the agency’s repeal of net neutrality. The petition criticizes the order for weakening the FCC’s legal authority for the Lifeline program, which helps millions of low-income people afford phone and internet service. OTI filed the petition with Common Cause, the Benton Institute, Free Press, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and the United Church of Christ. The petition is a response to Mozilla v. FCC, a 2019 court ruling that found the FCC’s decision to repeal net neutrality ignored the government’s duty to protect public safety, digital equity, and broadband competition.

In Jan. 2021, OTI published a blueprint for rebuilding and strengthening the Lifeline program after four years of neglect and regulatory war under the Trump administration.

The following quote can be attributed to Joshua Stager, senior counsel at New America’s Open Technology Institute:

“It’s been over a year since a federal court rebuked the FCC’s decision to repeal net neutrality, calling it ‘unhinged from the realities of modern broadband service.’ Our petition gives the FCC an opportunity to get back in touch with reality.

“As our petition notes, the 2017 repeal of net neutrality was particularly damaging to the Lifeline program. As the pandemic rages and poverty rates spike, the FCC needs to strengthen Lifeline—and that starts with restoring the legal authority that the FCC revoked in 2017.”