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In a blow to campaigners and anyone who wanted an open internet for everyone, the Federal Communications Commission voted to abandon the 2015 regulations.
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The US Federal Communications Commission has voted to repeal net neutrality. This was one of the internet’s key principles, guaranteeing that it would be provided to people without internet service providers blocking or discriminating against content. The plan to dismantle net neutrality, which was implemented in 2015 during the Barack Obama administration, was raised by chairman Ajit Pai, a former Verizon lawyer.
Under the Obama-era regulations, a Title II common carrier classification was placed on ISPs, making it illegal to throttle, block or otherwise discriminate against any kind of internet traffic, including paid prioritisation.
However, Ajit defended the repeal, with the NewYorkTimes reporting that ( http://bit.ly/neutral-repeal 1) he believed the removal of these regulations will benefit customers and reinvigorate the broadband and ISP market, saying that, “We are helping consumers and promoting competition… Broadband providers will have more incentive to build networks, especially to underserved areas.”
Two other Republican commissioners in the FCC supported the repeal, leading to a 3-2 majority to repealing Net Neutrality.
The Democratic commissioners who voted against the appeal claimed that the Republicans were voting against the wishes of millions of Americans. “I dissent, because I am among the millions outraged,” said Mignon Clyburn, one of the commissioners.
Emotions were running high in the run-up to the vote, and a net neutrality day of action was hosted on 12 July 2018. Back then, some of the biggest tech and internet companies spoke out in favour of preserving net neutrality. In a blog post (which can be read at http://bit.ly/zuck-net 2), Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote that “the FCC has rules in place to make sure the internet continues to be an open platform for everyone… At Facebook, we strongly support those rules. We’re also open to working with members of Congress and anyone else on laws to protect net neutrality.”
Google stated that, “Thanks in part to net neutrality, the open internet has grown to become an unrivalled source of choice, competition, innovation, free expression and opportunity. And it should stay that way” (http://bit.ly/google-netn 3).
The heightened emotions behind the vote was underscored when just before the vote, the meeting room at the FCC headquarters was evacuated, for reasons unknown.
While the vote in favour of repealing net neutrality was met with dismay by many people, work was quickly underway to limit – or reverse – the impact. The U.S Congress has the power to reverse the vote, and people have been urged to contact their (http://bit.ly/overturn-vote 4 ) member of congress at. It’s too early to see what impact – for good or ill – this vote will have, but the fight is not over.
“It’s too early to see what impact – for good or ill – this vote will have, but the fight’s not over”