FCC Announces Effort to Address Digital Discrimination

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced the formation of a cross-agency task force to create rules and policies to combat digital discrimination and to promote equal access to broadband across the country.  The cross-agency Task Force to Prevent Digital Discrimination will also oversee the development of model policies and best practices states and local governments can adopt that ensure ISPs do not engage in digital discrimination.

The Task Force is one of several actions the FCC is taking pursuant to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which requires the FCC to combat digital discrimination and redlining.  The FCC must adopt final rules to prevent digital discrimination and to prohibit deployment discrimination based on the income, racial or ethnic composition, and other agency determined relevant factors of a community. The FCC also will revise its public complaint process to seek feedback more prominently from consumers who may be facing digital discrimination in their communities.  These initiatives must be completed by November 2023.