SR 10 (LSB 1754XS (4) 86)

SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 10

BY  BOLKCOM, DVORSKY, HART, HOGG, TAYLOR, BISIGNANO, and DANIELSON

A Resolution affirming Iowa’s commitment to net neutrality.

   WHEREAS, broadband Internet access is an essential part of daily life for all people in Iowa and networks are often becoming our basic and only communication platform, and Governor Branstad and the Iowa General Assembly have recognized the importance of extending broadband Internet access to all Iowans; and
   WHEREAS, access to an open Internet is important for each and every constituent of Iowa as the Internet becomes a driver of our economy, our educational system, our health care services, our government institutions, and our democratic discourse; and
   WHEREAS, access to an open Internet gives individuals, associations, investors, and entrepreneurs the power to run small businesses, contribute to the marketplace of ideas, partake in civic engagement, and exercise freedom of speech; and
   WHEREAS, the open Internet developed and thrived under the principle that broadband providers cannot block, discriminate against, or interfere with the lawful content, applications, and services that these broadband networks carry, and that broadband customers may choose to access over the broadband connections; and
   WHEREAS, this principle, commonly referred to as “net neutrality”, protects innovation and creativity by preventing broadband providers from unreasonably favoring or prioritizing their own voice, video, messaging, or other communications services over offerings from entities unaffiliated with such broadband providers; and
   WHEREAS, this principle preserved the long-standing ideal of ensuring that communications networks are open to all speakers on similar terms, while ensuring that broadband providers will continue to invest in abundant capacity rather than creating incentives for underinvestment, scarcity, and prioritization of traffic on purposefully congested networks; and
   WHEREAS, without the continuation of net neutrality, the public will not benefit from competition, job creation, and technological innovation, as our entire economy becomes more vulnerable to the profit motives of large broadband providers that could charge new fees for access to broadband customers; and
   WHEREAS, violations of net neutrality create uncertainty and the potential for broadband providers to extort fees from Internet sites and thereby threaten Iowa businesses that rely on the Internet, particularly our burgeoning community of technology start-up businesses; and
   WHEREAS, the federal communications commission’s authority to safeguard net neutrality, and to ensure that our nation’s broadband networks remain competitive, open, and nondiscriminatory in the carriage of our information has come into question as a result of a federal appellate court decision issued in January 2014; NOW THEREFORE,

   BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate supports an open Internet protected by the principle of net neutrality; and

   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate supports the federal communications commission’s adoption of open Internet rules that will categorically protect our state’s residents and businesses from blocking, discrimination, and undue interference by broadband providers with the information the providers carry for their customers; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate supports the federal communications commission’s use of that agency’s jurisdiction over all interstate telecommunications services as the basis of its authority to adopt and enforce these protections for the free flow of information over our nation’s essential broadband communications infrastructure; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate urges Iowa’s United State senators and representatives to support, and make known their support, for strong net neutrality regulations that mandate that broadband providers not block, discriminate against, or interfere with the lawful content, applications, and services that these broadband networks carry and that broadband customers may choose to access over the broadband connections; and
   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Senate is directed to distribute a copy of this resolution to each member of Iowa’s congressional delegation.