Net neutrality’s end may be costly for consumers

Some sites could pass charges on to users

The noise over whether your Internet provider is the reason you can’t get

Stranger Things to stream smoothly is about go up a decibel.

The repeal of Obama-era net neutrality rules Thursday wiped from the books regulations that prevented Internet service providers from blocking or slowing some websites and charging more for others to run faster.

The new regulations, passed by the Republican-controlled Federal Communications Commission’s 3-2 vote, require companies such as Verizon and Comcast to disclose if they block sites or give priority to their own content more than others’ — say by allowing Comcast unit NBC Universal’s sites to run at a faster clip than Time Warner’s CNN.com.

The onus shifts to the public to flag any signs these Internet gatekeepers play favorites, including with their own properties — and report them to the

The onus shifts to the public to flag any signs these Internet gatekeepers play favorites and report them to the FTC if it looks like the provider is trying to suppress a competitor.

Federal Trade Commission if it looks like the provider is trying to suppress a competitor. The big Internet and cable providers, who lobbied hard for repeal,

said they won’t stop or slow any legal content.

The change does open the door for ISPs to charge more to some big broadband users, such as Netflix or YouTube, which in theory could pass those increased costs to their subscribers.

ISPs could charge subscribers more, too. Forrester Research analyst Susan Bidel pointed to Portugal and England, where Internet providers offer monthly services with extra fees for social, messaging and video viewing. Companies such as AT&T and Verizon “could charge extra here,” Bidel said.

Broadband providers have a big reason not to starting adding a special “YouTube” fee to your monthly bill: consumer ire, which is quick to ignite after any price hike. The FCC said public pressure would check Internet providers from abusing the regulations.

That outrage should work in a market where consumers have more than one choice for high-speed access. They’ll have less leverage when the local cable company is the only game in town.

The replacement rules are slated to go into effect as soon as next month. Expect a noisy fight online and in the courts before then — and after.

Advocates of the Obama-era net neutrality rules — including large Internet companies including Amazon, Google, Facebook and Netflix — plan to combat the regulations in Congress and the courts.

Some in Congress say they will introduce Congressional Review Act legislation to overturn the measure. Opponents of the Obama-era rules, which include FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who was appointed by the Trump administration, downplayed fears that repealing net neutrality regulations would lead to a slower, tollgated Internet.

The FCC’s action “is not going to end the Internet as we know it. It is not going to kill democracy, and it’s not going to stifle free expression online,” Pai said.

The loosening of Internet regulations should benefit consumers, he said, as it encourages Internet providers to invest more in broadband in regions that don’t have the best high-speed access, such as rural areas.

Angelo Zino, an analyst with CFRA Research, predicted little will change in the near term, but he expects broadband prices will go up for some consumers.

Internet providers already offer different tiers of speed, Zino noted, charging more for some.