Sen. Cortez Masto, Rosenworcel Urge Solutions on Net Neutrality, STEM Workforce Diversity

Tech innovations on display at CES in Las Vegas last week highlight issues that need addressing, including the future of net neutrality and how to increase diversity among candidates for jobs in tech and related sectors, said FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., in a Friday opinion piece in the Las Vegas Sun. Commissioners' December vote to rescind 2015 net neutrality rules is “troubling” because “while we don’t know what the next game-changing inventions will be, you can bet they involve the internet,” they said. “It’s important to ensure that connecting to our online world remains open and fair to everyone who creates and consumes online. The fight for this openness is not over” given upcoming legal challenges and a planned Congressional Review Act resolution to undo the repeal order, the Democrats said. Increasing diversity in the science, tech, engineering and math workforce is important because women hold “only 24 percent of the jobs in STEM fields,” Cortez Masto and Rosenworcel wrote: “This math needs to change,” in part via legislation and using “clubs, classes and apprenticeships to build a more diverse STEM pipeline.” The Democrats also noted an ongoing commitment to closing the “digital divide,” with “too many of our students ... falling” onto the wrong side at “a moment when digital skills are essential for future success.”