State Senator Amanda Cappelletti (D) and state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D) held virtual meeting on net neutrality and equitable access to internet in Pennsylvania.
“Internet access has become a necessity. However, Pennsylvania’s technological infrastructure and internet standards are behind the times. This pandemic has put a spotlight on the immediate need to update our technological infrastructure. We need to modernize and bring Pennsylvania into the 21st Century to ensure we do not fall further behind our neighboring states,” Cappelletti said. Here we see the language of "Necessity" that has become common with public discourse over the internet. Comcast has called their low-income internet program, "Internet Essentials."
Net neutrality is the concept that all data on the internet should be treated equally by internet service providers. For example, Comcast cannot slow down competitor's streaming platforms nor charge a fee for you to subscribe to them. The article mentions calls for the internet to be considered a utility and regulated as such.
Net neutrality analyzed through the lens of energy rights would be an interesting study, since it was only in the last few years that the regulation was removed at a federal level. Both Fielder and Cappelletti have introduced a bill that would make net neutrality a state law. They both argue that the unaccountability of ISPs prevents children from attending their classes, potentially damaging their futures.
Pennsylvania Senate Democrats, 31 March 2021, "PA Senate Democrats Joined House Democrats for Net Neutrality Policy Hearing", contributed by Andrew Rosenthal, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 1 May 2021, accessed 19 April 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/pa-senate-democrats-joined-house-democrats-net-neutrality-policy-hearing
Critical Commentary
State Senator Amanda Cappelletti (D) and state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D) held virtual meeting on net neutrality and equitable access to internet in Pennsylvania.
“Internet access has become a necessity. However, Pennsylvania’s technological infrastructure and internet standards are behind the times. This pandemic has put a spotlight on the immediate need to update our technological infrastructure. We need to modernize and bring Pennsylvania into the 21st Century to ensure we do not fall further behind our neighboring states,” Cappelletti said. Here we see the language of "Necessity" that has become common with public discourse over the internet. Comcast has called their low-income internet program, "Internet Essentials."
Net neutrality is the concept that all data on the internet should be treated equally by internet service providers. For example, Comcast cannot slow down competitor's streaming platforms nor charge a fee for you to subscribe to them. The article mentions calls for the internet to be considered a utility and regulated as such.
Net neutrality analyzed through the lens of energy rights would be an interesting study, since it was only in the last few years that the regulation was removed at a federal level. Both Fielder and Cappelletti have introduced a bill that would make net neutrality a state law. They both argue that the unaccountability of ISPs prevents children from attending their classes, potentially damaging their futures.