Yay for positive policy changes.
Do you miss net neutrality? Rules for a fairer internet where ISPs must treat all communications equally were put in place during President Obama’s administration, before they were repealed in 2017. The removal of net neutrality rules was controversial, but now the rules are back.
The Federal Communications Commission, or FCC for short, has officially voted to reinstate net neutrality, preventing broadband providers from selectively slowing or blocking internet traffic while enhancing access for those who pay additional fees. The “Safeguarding and Securing the Open Internet” order restores regulations initially implemented during the Obama administration in 2015 but rolled back in 2017 under the Trump presidency, right as Ajit Pai, a heavy detractor of net neutrality, was named as the chairman of the FCC. The decision was anticipated since the FCC announced its intention to pursue this policy shift in September, particularly given the Democratic majority on the Commission. The vote was 3-2, split cleanly among party lines.
The reinstated net neutrality rules aim to establish a national standard for internet access and prevent discriminatory practices by broadband providers. However, the process of implementing these rules involves publication in the Federal Register and subsequent waiting periods. As a result, it is probably going to take a while before we see these new rules and regulations result into actual changes in the broadband landscape. The FCC has also been playing around with other ways to get people to be aware of their broadband plans and how well, or badly, they serve them. For one, the commission now has food-like broadband labels with charges and details explained clearly—broadband providers must show these to users from this month onward, while smaller internet service providers can wait a bit longer.
It’s good to see the FCC taking on important issues again. With consumer backlash and impending federal regulations, a lot of broadband providers have largely refrained from anti-competitive behavior, so all of this appears to be making a difference. We’ll have to wait and see how much of an impact the newly reinstated net neutrality rules have on internet in the US.
Source: TechCrunch
