Public Knowledge Asks FCC to Protect Consumers During Tech Transitions

Public Knowledge urges the Federal Communications Commission to adopt clear and robust rules to ensure no one is left behind in the phone network transition to IP, fiber, or wireless.

Jodie Griffin, Senior Staff Attorney at Public Knowledge, said, "The Commission has signaled that it is committed to protecting consumers as networks across the country transition to new technologies. We support the Commission’s efforts to protect the fundamental values of the network that made the phone network such a success and encouraged decades of innovation that led to technologies like broadband. We’ve already seen in some communities that we cannot sit by and simply assume that new technologies will necessarily be better for consumers than what they have now. If a technology transition causes people to lose reliability, accessibility, affordability, or support for services like Internet access, heart monitors, and credit card processors, then the Commission must step in to ensure the tech transitions are a step forward for everyone."

Joining PK -- Appalshop, Benton Foundation, Center For Media Justice, Center for Rural Strategies, Common Cause, The Greenlining Institute, Media Action Center, Media Literacy Project, National Consumer Law Center, on behalf of its low-income clients, New America’s Open Technology Institute, Rural Broadband Policy Group, and TURN (The Utility Reform Network).