The Federal Communications Commission released a plan Tuesday to dismantle regulations that ensure equal access to the internet, clearing the way for internet service companies to charge users more to see certain content and to curb access to some websites.
In case you’re preoccupied with a frenzy of Thanksgiving tasks, here is the bottom line, according to The New York Times:
"The biggest concern is that the internet will become pay-to-play technology with two tiers: one that has speedy service and one that doesn’t. The high-speed lane would be occupied by big internet and media companies, and affluent households. For everyone else there would be the slow lane.”
The details:
The proposal, by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, repeals rules put in place by the Obama administration that prohibit high-speed internet service providers from stopping or slowing down the delivery of websites. They also prevent the companies from charging customers extra for high-quality streaming and other services.
Tim Wu, a law professor at Columbia University who's credited with coining the phrase “net neutrality,” says the repeal plan not only rolls back the Obama-era rules, it goes further. It specifically permits broadband carriers to block media content, Wu says, an added power that wasn't the case during the administration of George W. Bush.
“An allowance of blocking is really pretty shocking,” Wu says.
The current rules treat internet service providers such as Comcast, AT&T and Verizon as if they were utility companies that provide essential services, such as electricity. The rules mandate that they give equal access to all online content and apps.
The announcement set off a fight over free speech and control of the internet, pitting telecom giants like AT&T and Verizon against internet giants like Google and Amazon.
The internet companies say that rolling back the rules could make the telecom companies powerful gatekeepers to information and entertainment. The telecom companies say the existing rules prevent them from offering customers a wider selection of services at higher and lower price points.
“Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the internet,” Pai said in a statement. “Instead, the FCC would simply require internet service providers to be transparent about their practices so that consumers can buy the service plan that’s best for them.”
If broadband companies violate terms of service or overstep in any way, Pai says the Federal Trade Commission will be able to step in and take action.
But former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, who headed the agency when it passed the 2015 rules, said Pai's proposal "raises hypocrisy to new heights."
"They are 'protecting consumers' by disavowing responsibility to do just that," Wheeler said in a statement. "They are providing for 'better regulation' by giving authority to the FTC, which has no regulatory authority."
Pai's proposal would spare telecom giants from state legislators and regulators who might want to police net neutrality. It says that state and local regulations attempting to regulate broadband in ways that run counter to the federal rules would be pre-empted.
Pai distributed his alternative plan to other FCC commissioners on Tuesday and promised to release his entire proposal on Wednesday.
The commissioners vote on the issue on Dec. 14.
Although the FCC’s two Democrats say they'll oppose the proposal, the repeal is likely to prevail; Republicans dominate 3-2. The vote for net neutrality in 2015 also was along party lines, but Democrats dominated then.
Basically, expect lots of lobbying before the vote and legal action after.
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