American Broadband Under Title II

Later this week, the Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to adopt new rules classifying broadband as a telecommunications service, commonly known as Title II regulation. This reclassification will deviate from 15 years of FCC precedents that repeatedly specified that broadband is not regulated under Title II. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has stated that the FCC will forbear from applying the most difficult Title II rules on broadband.

What will happen to American broadband and Internet after the FCC adopts Title II regulations? How will consumers’ Internet experiences change? How will businesses' broadband investment decisions be impacted? Will the FCC's Title II regulations provide a predictable set of rules for the broadband industry?

On February 24, Hudson Institute welcomed two leading observers of the communications industry to address these and related issues: Scott Cleland of Precursor and former FCC Commissioner and Hudson Senior Fellow Robert McDowell. Hudson Senior Fellow Harold Furchtgott-Roth moderated the discussion.