M E M O R A N D U M
To: Honorable Members of the Town Council
From: Mayor Peggy R. Bell
Date: May 16, 2018
Re: Supporting Net Neutrality and the Cities Open Internet Pledge
REQUEST
title
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF CUTLER BAY, FLORIDA, SUPPORTING NET NEUTRALITY AND THE CITIES OPEN INTERNET PLEDGE; PROVIDING FOR IMPLEMENTATION; PROVIDING FOR TRANSMITTAL; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The Town Council of the Town of Cutler Bay (the "Town") is committed to taking all available steps to ensure the internet remains open and to keep gatekeepers from throttling, blocking, or limiting government content on the internet. Net neutrality is the First Amendment of the internet, essential to everyone's rights to connect and communicate online and is now being threatened.
The Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") voted to replace net neutrality rules it previously adopted in 2015. The original net neutrality rules included provisions preventing internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking or slowing down access to online content and prevented ISPs from prioritizing their own content. The repeal of net neutrality was scheduled to take effect on April 23, 2018.
The FCC's decision has sparked, the Cities Open Internet Pledge, a national movement for the return of the original net neutrality rules. Over the past two (2) decades, cities have increased their presence on the internet to provide information and services to constituents. Municipalities have come to rely on the internet as an open medium with the assurance that an ISP will deliver a resident's request for government content just the same as they deliver any other content. The FCC's recent repeal of its Open Internet order violates that principle. Municipalities cannot allow private internet service providers to be the gatekeeper between our residents and the local government services on which they depend every day. Mayors n...
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