Safe Internet Alliance

Guest post by: Stacie Rumenap, board member of Safe Internet Alliance

UPDATE:  Watch video of CQ/Roll Call's policy breakfast sponsored by Safe Internet Alliance here

Safe Internet Alliance sponsors briefing on future of broadband, urges FCC to include Internet adoption to their Broadband Plan

Chairman Boucher opened this week’s CQ-Roll Call briefing on the future of broadband, sponsored by the Safe Internet Alliance, by recognizing the efforts of the FCC to expand broadband access, especially to rural America of which much of his own congressional district is comprised.  
Boucher also challenged industry representatives to submit a narrow set of targeted principles that would maintain the openness the Internet currently enjoys, and allow innovation and job creation to continue to flourish.
Boucher and other panelists called on the FCC to better empower consumers so they may engage in an online experience that is safe and secure, ultimately resulting in the consumer having greater confidence to participate in electronic banking, commerce, health and other online activities.

This prodded the Safe Internet Alliance to consider the need for consumers to embrace Internet adoption, rather than simple broadband access.  Under the scope of adoption, access is a key element; without access, adoption obviously is not an option.  But even when access is available, adoption is not ensured.

Under its proposed plan, the FCC did a good job in minimizing financial barriers to adoption, and increasing consumer understanding about the relevance of Internet use in their daily lives.  What remains to be incorporated is a solution that addresses consumer’s concerns about online safety and trust, as well as allowing enough flexibility for industry to assure users a safe experience online.

The FCC’s own research highlights the role that trust – or mistrust – plays in adoption.  The study found that 45 percent of those who are not online cited a fear that “bad things happen online.”  Such a lack of safety is a clear obstacle to adoption, meaning parents worry the Internet is too dangerous for children, and that it is too easy for their personal information to be stolen.

While the Broadband Plan addresses the need for digital literacy among consumers, digital safety and digital literacy are not synonymous.  It is entirely plausible to be digitally literate and still have concerns about safety.  Digital safety, after all, includes the need for consumers to acquire the skills needed to interact online with people, data, and services, and includes understanding how to defend one’s self, family and Internet-connected devices, such as computers, phones, game consoles and handheld devices, etc., against attack by individuals, organizations, and technical exploits.  This however only addresses the areas that consumers can manage through education and diligence. 

Digital safety cannot be solely the responsibility of consumers.  If we want a safer online environment where consumers are willing to adopt the technologies, we must build that safer environment.  Missing from the Plan in its current state is a clear definition of service provider’s responsibilities in providing online safety.  Without this, consumer trust will remain out of reach and adoption will suffer. 

Creating an environment that encourages innovation and responsible management of online networks and services is therefore imperative to any successful broadband plan.  Consumers need a set of standards by which they can easily measure the level of privacy and safety a service offers.  Consumers need the assurance that providers have the capability, responsibility, and flexibility to manage their networks in ways that thwart exploitive use and protect users.  Consumers need choices that allow them to define and manage safety as it relates to themselves and their families, and to have those choices respected.  Until such elements are in place, consumers will remain anxious about adoption, even when access is provided. 

It is with this in mind, the Safe Internet Alliance urges the FCC to delve deeper into the safety issues preventing adoption that ultimately cause high levels of concern among those who have adopted Internet technologies.