Connecticut Commentary: Red Notes from a Blue State

Printed with permission of the author: Philip Purciello . Presently, Mr Purciello  heads up press relations for the Simsbury Republican Town Committee (RTC) and he is an RTC executive committee member.   On February 26, 2015 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – in accordance with Title II of the Communications Act and Section 706 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 – adopted sweeping net neutrality regulation that converts internet infrastructure from a privately held commodity into a government regulated public utility (“Open Internet”, n.d.). In 2002, the FCC ruled that broadband internet should be classified under Title I; which regulated information services (Miranda, 2013). As a precursor to net neutrality, the FCC reclassified broadband for protection under Title II. Title II allows the government to regulate common carrier services – or telecommunications services that are used broadly by the public, like radio and television (Miranda, 2013).