F.C.C. Reveals Plan To Repeal Net Neutrality Rules

It appears Net Neutrality is in jeopardy ladies and gentlemen. On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission, aka F.C.C., announced a plan to ditch 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 access to some websites.

The rules, which were put in place in 2015 with Obama, prohibit internet providers from blocking or slowing down access to certain content. It also forbids them from giving preferential access to certain businesses or charging customers more to access certain websites. If the F.C.C. repeals these regulations, the country’s internet landscape could be drastically altered. In other words, certain website could charge you to simply visit their website or block you from visiting various sites if F.C.C. is successful in the repeal.

"Under my proposal, the federal government will stop micromanaging the internet," F.C.C. chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement to the New York Times. "Instead, the F.C.C. 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 and entrepreneurs and other small businesses can have the technical information they need to innovate.”

Big online companies like Google and Facebook say the repeal proposal would allow telecom companies to play favorites by charging customers for accessing some sites or by slowing speeds to others. The existing rules were written to prevent such arrangements, adopting a policy often called net neutrality. If these regulations were dismantled, service providers could make it more difficult—or impossible—to access certain websites or data.

“We are disappointed that the proposal announced today by the F.C.C. fails to maintain the strong net neutrality protections that will ensure the internet remains open for everyone,” Erin Egan, a vice president at Facebook, said in a statement. “We will work with all stakeholders committed to this principle.”

However Comcast, one of the country’s biggest broadband companies, said it would not slow websites that contain legally permitted material. “We do not and will not block, throttle, or discriminate against lawful content — and we will be transparent with our customers about these policies,” the company said.

Ajit Pai was appointed by Trump to the F.C.C. chairman post in January. The F.C.C. will vote to overturn the regulations on Dec. 14.

See what people are saying about the #NetNeutrality on twitter (below).

[Via]