Get the Facts on Net Neutrality

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The current net neutrality debate is clouded with misinformation and misleading claims. And while fiction may be good for reading at the beach, facts are crucial for an informed debate – particularly when it comes to something as important as protecting the open internet.

Broadband for America strongly supports net neutrality, but opposes using a Depression-era regulation to govern the internet. The Title II regulatory framework has restrained broadband investment, hampered efforts to connect rural America to high-speed internet and, ultimately, hurt consumers.

Americans deserve permanent net neutrality protections without the harm that comes with Title II. Americans also deserve the facts. Here they are:

  • Title II Costs $35 Billion Per Year in Lost Investment – In the past 5 years, the specter and application of Title II on the internet has cost Americans $35 billion per year in lost broadband investment. Source: George S. Ford of the Phoenix Center.
  • Title II Clearly Reduced Broadband Investment – Compared to 2014, broadband investment from the 12 largest ISPs declined by 5.5% in 2016 alone. Source: Hal Singer of the George Washington University Institute for Public Policy.
  • Pro-Title II Studies Use Voodoo Economics – Title II backers have played fast and loose with the facts to hide the economic harm caused by Title II. One obvious example: they counted investments in Mexico as U.S. investment. Take out erroneous numbers like that, and it’s clear: broadband investment decreased under Title II. Source: Doug Brake of ITIF.
  • A Quarter of Americans Don’t Have Broadband — Title II Won’t Bring It to Them – Broadband investment is crucial because 23% of Americans living in urban areas and 28% of Americans living in rural areas still don’t have access to high speed internet. Regulations that restrict investment, like Title II, will hurt, not help. Source: Recode.
  • Most Americans Oppose Title II Rules – A majority – 51 percent – of Americans agree that the internet should be free from utility-style regulation like Title II. Source: Morning Consult and NCTA survey.