THE END OF NET NEUTRALITY
The FCC voted to repeal Obama-era rules that required equal access to all websites.
The Federal Communications Commission repealed the Obama-era “net neutrality” rules Thursday, giving internet service providers like Verizon, Comcast and AT&T a free hand to slow or block websites and apps as they see fit or charge more for faster speeds.
In a straight party-line vote of 3-2, the Republicancontrolled FCC junked the longtime principle that said all web traffic must be treated equally. The move represents a radical departure from more than a decade of federal oversight.
The big telecommunications companies had lobbied hard to overturn the rules, contending they are heavy-handed and discourage investment in broadband networks.
“What is the FCC doing today?” asked FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican. “Quite simply, we are restoring the light-touch framework that has governed the internet for most of its existence.”
The push to eliminate net neutrality has stirred fears among consumer advocates, Democrats, many web companies and ordinary Americans that the cable and phone giants will be able to control what people see and do online. But the broadband industry has promised that the internet experience for the public isn’t going to change.
The FCC vote is unlikely to be the last word. Net neutrality supporters threatened legal challenges, with New York’s attorney general vowing to lead a multistate lawsuit. Some Democrats want to overturn the FCC action in Congress.
All four Democrats in New Mexico’s congressional delegation roundly criticized the FCC decision. Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat who sits on the Senate Commerce Committee and has clashed with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on several issues, said the 3-2 vote was “a major blow to the internet as we know it.”
“Chairman Pai’s legacy will be leading the surrender of the free and open internet to corporate giants, letting internet service providers create internet toll lanes, and stifling the competition, innovation and dynamism that has made the internet a bedrock of modern life,” Udall said.
But Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., said the Obama-era rule “led to the government having greater control over regulating the internet.”
“Now, this decision by the FCC will restore the regulatory framework back to how it was before 2015, while still allowing for unfettered access to the internet,” Pearce said.