The proposal will reclassify internet service as information service, rendering the Title II regulations obsolete. The faces of its demise. (Image credit FCC)
The FCC has released its final draft on the net neutrality issue under the title “Restoring Internet Freedom,” with the proposal expected to pass during the Open Meeting December 14 vote. The draft essentially reverses/repeals the net neutrality protections implemented during the Obama administration back in 2015 by doing away with Title II (common carrier) classification. That classification treated broadband as a utility rather than a service and therefore prevented ISPs from blocking, slowing down (throttling- nearly every ISP does this) or charging more for certain kinds of content and services. To put it bluntly- the order would in effect, deregulate ISPs and nullify any oversight of broadband access.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has characterized his efforts for repealing net neutrality as an effort to restore and improve broadband services by removing unnecessary regulations. “For almost twenty years, the Internet thrived under the light-touch regulatory approach established by President Clinton and a Republican Congress. This bipartisan framework led the private sector to invest $1.5 trillion building communications networks throughout the United States. And it gave us an Internet economy that became the envy of the world,” stated Pai in a recent press release. A fair statement for sure and that ‘light-handedness’ did indeed see increased investments for a wider broadband infrastructure, too bad nobody’s using it.
Regardless, big-name tech companies and a host of other online entities (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, etc.) are vehemently against the repeal, saying in most part, it will stifle competition and innovation not only among big businesses but among smaller ones as well (see: declining profits). Communications giants AT&T, Comcast and Verizon on the other hand, argue that current rules have deterred broadband investment and need to be repealed in order for the “US to retain its leading role in shaping and benefiting from the internet,” (see: increased profits).
As for consumers, millions (bots maybe?) let the FCC know that deregulation would be a bad idea and would ultimately lead to increased internet bills based on content priority- such as being charged more for visiting specific websites such as Netflix. Think of it like cable television companies who charge more for individual packages- news, sports, entertainment and so forth. No matter if you’re against the repeal, Ajit Pai is defending the FCC plan, explaining- “The FCC will require ISPs to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that’s best for them and entrepreneurs and other small businesses can have the technical information they need to innovate.”
That’s a great idea unless you live in a rural area with only one provider. Moreover, when that repeal most likely passes in December- will we have to Subscribe to everything to know more?
This feels like the beginning of a distopian sci-fi story.
C
See more news at: