Council President to introduce package of resolutions highlighting Internet access as a basic human right

BALTIMORE, MD – The City of Baltimore is taking a major step toward ensuring all citizens have the right to Internet access with the introduction of a package of resolutions by Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young.

The package includes a number of items that, taken together, help position Baltimore within a national movement aimed at ensuring fair Internet access to all citizens.

The three resolutions are:

• An informational hearing into how a repeal of Net Neutrality would negatively impact Baltimore. This resolution calls for representatives from various city agencies to appear before the City Council during a public hearing to discuss how Baltimore is prepared to navigate a possible repeal of Net Neutrality
   
• An investigative hearing into the physical status of Baltimore’s Municipal Conduit System. Baltimore is believed to be home to the largest municipal conduit system in the country. While a number of cities sold their systems years ago during lean budgetary times, Baltimore did the opposite. Currently, Baltimore’s system generates revenue from a host of utilities and services that provide funding for maintenance. This resolution calls on an update of the current status of Baltimore’s system
   
• An informational hearing into a Municipal Broadband Feasibility Study – this resolution calls on the Departments of Finance, Transportation and, Information Technology to develop a feasibility study of creating a citywide Municipal Broadband Program. Such a program could ensure high-speed Internet access to citizens at an affordable price. San Francisco recently completed a successful municipal broadband study that explored various public-private financing options

Council President Young tied his push to ensure freedom to access the Internet to a basic right for all citizens.

“Providing citizens with access to reliable and affordable Internet connectivity is important as more people use technology to gain entry to fast-growing employment sectors and gain valuable education and technological skills” Young said “A repeal of net neutrality would result in real, tangible losses. Our citizens take online classes to further their lives and careers, local news outlets use the Internet to disseminate their messages

Under Net Neutrality rules adopted by the Obama administration, Internet providers were banned from prioritizing certain online traffic and content. Those regulations were discarded by the Trump administration. Currently, Congress and a number of courts are debating the eventual fate of net neutrality. A repeal of net neutrality would have a major impact on cities like Baltimore.

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