FCC plan would give internet providers control
Undoing net neutrality priority for chairman
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators unveiled a plan Tuesday that would give internet providers broad powers to determine what websites and online services their customers can see and use, and at what cost.
The move sets the stage for a crucial vote next month at the Federal Communications Commission that could reshape the entire digital ecosystem. The FCC’S Republican chairman, Ajit Pai, has made undoing the government’s net neutrality rules one of his top priorities, and Tuesday’s move hands a win to broadband companies such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast.
Pai is taking aim at regulations that were approved two years ago under a Democratic presidency and that sought to make sure all internet content, whether from big or small companies, would be treated equally by internet providers.
In a statement, Pai said his proposal would prevent the government from “micromanaging the internet.” Under the new rules, he said, the
FCC would “simply require Internet service providers to be transparent about their practices.”
The proposal would also shift some enforcement responsibility to the Federal Trade Commission, which can sue companies for violating the commitments or statements they have made to the public.
Relying more heavily on internet providers’ own promises on net neutrality is a departure from the current rules, which lay out clear, federal bans against selectively blocking or slowing websites, as well as speeding up websites that agree to pay the providers a fee.
Lifting the rules will allow internet providers to experiment with new ways of making money. In recent years, some broadband companies, such as AT&T, have tried offering discounts on internet service to Americans so long as they agree to let the company monitor their web browsing history, for example.
Other companies, such as Verizon, have exempted their own proprietary apps from mobile data caps in a bid to drive user engagement. The practice, known as zero-rating, was criticized by the previous FCC as a potential violation of net neutrality principles, but Pai rescinded his predecessor’s findings upon taking office.
Internet providers welcomed Tuesday’s FCC announcement. “We’re very encouraged by Chairman Pai’s announcement today that the FCC will move forward next month to restore the successful light-touch regulatory framework for Internet services,” Verizon said in a statement.
Some analysts said that the FCC proposal was appropriate and that there is no economic evidence for regulatory intervention.
“In the absence of a market failure, the constitution doesn’t permit the FCC to treat the information superhighway … like a public utility,” said Fred Campbell, director of the think tank Tech Knowledge.
The FCC’S proposal is largely opposed by internet companies such as Google, which said Tuesday that the net neutrality rules help protect an open internet.
“The FCC’S net neutrality rules are working well for consumers, and we’re disappointed in the proposal released today,” Google said.