FCC
Big ISPs will once again have to abide by a robust set of traffic rules that prohibit them from blocking or throttling traffic as the FCC reinstated net neutrality rules today.
The commission voted 3-2 along party lines to adopt the rules, which largely prohibit Comcast, AT&T, Verizon and other carriers from favoring some types of Internet traffic over others.
The latest net neutrality rules are similar to those passed in 2015, when the FCC voted to reclassify internet service as a common carrier, or the same statutory designation given to telephone services. The commission, with a majority of Democratic members, sought reclassification as a way to give the FCC the regulatory authority to establish substantive net neutrality rules.
But less than three years later, after Donald Trump became president, a Republican-controlled FCC turned net neutrality to protest online and outside FCC offices.
Opponents of net neutrality argue that even without such regulation, the great fear that the Internet would devolve into a tiered system of fast lanes has not materialized.
Supporters note, however, that a host of new government regulations have hampered the behavior of the major ISPs.
Congress has been unable to pass legislation that would codify net neutrality, although there have been several attempts over the past 15 years to reach a legislative compromise.
“Four years ago, the pandemic changed life as we know it. We were told to stay home, relax and live online,” said FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, who spearheaded the reintroduction of the rules. “So much work, school and healthcare migrated to the Internet. If we wanted to engage with the world, we had to do it all through a broadband connection,” she said at the hearing.
“It became clear that no matter who you are or where you live, you need broadband to have a fair shot at success in the digital age. It went from nice-to-have to need-to-have for everyone , everywhere. Broadband is now an essential service – the ones we count on in every aspect of modern life – with some basic oversight.”
