SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday voted to restore “net neutrality” rules that prevent broadband internet providers such as Comcast and Verizon from favoring some sites and apps over others.
The move effectively reinstates a net neutrality order the commission first issued in 2015 during the Obama administration.
In 2017, under then-President Donald Trump, the FCC repealed those rules.
Net neutrality effectively requires providers of internet service to treat all traffic equally, eliminating any incentive they might face to favor business partners or to hobble competitors.
While it’s been almost seven years since the FCC killed the previous net neutrality rules, their reinstatement isn’t expected to noticeably change users’ online experience.
Public Knowledge legal director John Bergmayer credits that to several states having passed their own net neutrality measures prior to 2015, all of which remained in force when the FCC reversed course two years later following Trump’s election.
“Some of the absolute worst excesses from (internet providers) were kept in check by state level oversight,” Bergmayer said.
Other states with strong net neutrality rules include Colorado, Maine, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, according to Bergmayer.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—On Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission decided to reinstate the “net neutrality” regulations, which forbid internet service providers like Comcast and Verizon from giving preference to certain websites and applications over others.
By doing this, the commission essentially reinstates the net neutrality order that it had originally issued in 2015, during the Obama administration. Under former President Donald Trump, the FCC revoked those regulations in 2017.
On Thursday, the measure was approved 3-2 in a party-line vote that saw Republicans voting against it and Democratic commissioners supporting it.
Effectively, net neutrality removes any incentive internet service providers may have to favor business partners or hinder competitors by requiring them to treat all traffic equally. “The idea that the company that connects you to the internet does not get to control what you do on the internet,” is how public interest organization Public Knowledge defines net neutrality. “.
For example, the rules prohibit actions that throttle or block specific websites or applications, or that reserve faster speeds for businesses or clients who are prepared to pay a premium for them.
“We know that broadband is a necessity, not a luxury in our post-pandemic world,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel stated in a statement prior to the vote.
Though the previous net neutrality rules were repealed by the FCC nearly seven years ago, it is unlikely that users’ online experiences will change significantly upon their reinstatement. The reason for that, according to John Bergmayer, legal director of Public Knowledge, is that a number of states had already passed their own net neutrality laws before 2015, and those laws were still in effect when the FCC changed its mind two years after Trump was elected.
According to Bergmayer, “state level oversight kept some of the absolute worst excesses from (internet providers) in check.”.
More states than the FCC followed suit, such as California, which outlawed the “zero rating” practice. In order to encourage customers to use a specific streaming service, a mobile provider may, for example, reach a business agreement to waive any associated data fees. According to Bergmayer, Washington, Colorado, Maine, Oregon, and Vermont are some other states with strict net neutrality laws.
The federal regulations were opposed by the telecommunications industry, which has always opposed government intervention in business matters, on the grounds that it is superfluous.
