Shirley Bloomfield, the CEO of The Rural Broadband Association (NTCA), has reacted to new rules passed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) aimed at preventing digital discrimination.

Bloomfield said the NTCA shares the goal of creating an environment in which broadband access is provided to every American. She also expressed hopes that the FCC will facilitate additional discussions with stakeholders in the industry.

Her comments were released to the media by the NTCA shortly after Wednesday’s FCC vote to adopt new rules addressing digital discrimination.

“We still need to see the final order as approved and in particular understand better its application to operations in deeply rural areas,” she said. “Especially for smaller rural operators, it is important that the FCC’s digital discrimination rules take proper account – as Congress intended – of technological and economic considerations that clearly affect the advancement of universal service.”

Bloomfield said the FCC’s rules “must not create an uncertain environment where broadband providers will be anxious that decisions they make” will be subject to second guessing from regulators and potential penalties assessed by the FCC.

The NTCA’s CEO continued. Bloomfield said she hopes the FCC is open to further discussions regarding the scope and implementation of the newly adopted rules so “small rural broadband providers can stay focused first and foremost on the job of delivering robust and affordable broadband in the hardest-to-serve reaches of our country.”

The new rules passed by the FCC will define the term “digital discrimination of access” as “policies or practices not justified by genuine issues of technical or economic feasibility that differentially impact consumers’ access to broadband internet access service based on their income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion or national origin, or are intended to have such differential impact.”

The rules will now allow for possible instances of discrimination of broadband access to be investigated, and for potential penalties to be assessed against companies that fail to meet the obligations in the proposed rules.

Additionally, the rules will lead to the creation of an improved consumer complaint portal where consumer complaints of digital discrimination can be accepted.

The vote was passed by a 3-2 margin at the FCC’s November 15 meeting, where it was the first agenda item.