The Federal Communications Commission has approved a new set of rules aiming to prevent “digital discrimination.” It means the agency can hold telecom companies accountable for digitally discriminating against customers — or giving certain communities poorer service (or none at all) based on income level, race, or religion.
It should be interesting to hear how they plan to make this determination. I just know from the rural side that the burden to serving poorer communities usually is both technical and financial, like building out a few miles of fresh fiber to serve a handful of residences. That’s why they have programs in place to push expansion into those areas, and the telecoms involved there are already bound by progress and reporting requirements. I guess it could be a different situation in areas where the population density is pretty consistent across the board.
