![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com\/thebaycitybeacon.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/c\/5b\/c5b94648-1a70-11e8-87ba-0fbf24c33192\/5a93278b654c7.image.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Proposed network would be fast, open, and provide explicit protections for user privacy and net neutrality.<\/strong><\/p>\n This week, the San Francisco Municipal Fiber Blue Ribbon Board released a report recommending a set of provisions that ISPs using the city\u2019s infrastructure will have to follow, the latest in a set of recent moves towards to the rollout of municipal fiber in San Francisco. Since taking office last month, Mayor Mark Farrell has overseen significant commitments toward the rollout of the proposed fiber optic network.<\/p>\n The result of\u00a0planning<\/a>\u00a0between late Mayor Ed Lee and then-Supervisor Farrell, the city\u2019s future citywide network will work on an open access model, providing internet service providers the ability to operate retail network service using city-owned infrastructure. Proponents of this model say that this provides cities the opportunity to build greater network access, spur economic growth, and mandate network neutrality while still encouraging competition. The city\u2019s next step is to ensure that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) \u201cmirror San Francisco values,\u201d says Mayor Farrell.<\/p>\n In January, the city\u2019s Department of Technology announced a Request for Qualifications, a process that will narrow down potential partners for rolling out and operating the fiber network. While that process continues through April, the report released Thursday recommends provisions which would mandate partner adherence to net neutrality standards. The panel is chaired by Mayor Farrell and includes members such as the University of San Francisco\u2019s Professor Susan Freiwald, the Open Tech Institute\u2019s Kevin Bankston, and Catherine Sandoval of the California Public Utilities Commission.<\/p>\n The panel\u2019s recommendations focus on access and privacy. Modeled after the Title II regulations that the FCC applied to the internet in 2015 before\u00a0repeal<\/a>, the proposed policies bar ISPs from blocking particular sites, slowing down access to content, and prioritizing content through paid \u201cfast lanes\u201d or commercial partnerships. Current providers in San Francisco have already subverted these regulations: the panel cites AT&T\u2019s previous blocking of Apple\u2019s FaceTime and Comcast\u2019s throttling of Netflix as examples.<\/p>\n The panel also recommends a series of rules meant to protect user privacy, leaning on an \u201copen access\u201d model that would prevent ISPs from seeing, modifying, and blocking content delivered to users. In addition, panel member and Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney Kit Walsh said in an interview that in\u00a0the open access model<\/a>, \u201cyou get the benefits of competition while disincentivizing sneaky behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n Under that model, the city constructs and owns network infrastructure that is then leased by private operators for retail sale. This infrastructure, employed notably by Santa Monica\u2019s\u00a0City Net<\/a>\u00a0and Stockholm\u2019s\u00a0Stokab<\/a>, reduces investment for new entrants to the market, lowers the cost of switching for business and consumers, and allows cities to create a set of mandates for retail providers using the network. An alternative model where cities roll out networking and become the internet service provider is criticized by some for its privacy implications, including the EFF.<\/p>\n Some worry that these protections could be vulnerable to legal challenge under the interstate commerce clause. \u201cThe FCC has tried to prevent local governments from protecting net neutrality,\u201d said Kit Walsh, \u201cbut it doesn\u2019t have a lot of authority to do that.\u201d Walsh explained that the Blue Ribbon Panel\u2019s recommended policies would only apply to providers using the infrastructure owned by the city, thus skirting potential federal intervention.<\/p>\n Meanwhile in Sacramento, State Senator Scott Weiner has promised to provide a statewide solution to protect network neutrality, and 14 states thus far have proposed similar regulation. It is as yet unclear whether or not the FCC will take legal action.<\/p>\n Mayor Farrell says that the policies recommended by the Blue Ribbon Panel will allow San Francisco to \u201cprovide a digital sanctuary city.\u201d Moving forward, the city will continue to work with San Franciscans for Municipal Fiber, a panel of civic organizations including Code for America and Zero Divide, to hone these policies as the network rolls out.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s Request for Qualifications will close in April, at which time the Department of Technology and the City Administrator\u2019s Office will narrow down 3-5 potential contractors and commence a Request for Proposals and award a contract to build, operate, and manage the open access fiber optic network for 15 years.<\/p>\n If rolled out properly, municipal fiber could provide San Francisco with fast and affordable internet while protecting network neutrality and user privacy. \u201cWhile the federal government continues to deliver devastating decisions regarding the internet,\u201d said Mayor Farrell, \u201cI believe it is up to local communities to fight back \u2013 it\u2019s the only way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Ellen McGrody Feb 25, 2018 (thebaycitybeacon.com) Mayor Mark Farrell and Senator Scott Wiener at a Shared Schoolyards opening. Proposed network would be fast, open, and provide explicit protections for user privacy and net neutrality. This week, the San Francisco Municipal Fiber Blue Ribbon Board released a report recommending a… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8176"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8176"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8177,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8176\/revisions\/8177"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}