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More than four months ago, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had voted 3-2 to roll back the net neutrality rules that were implemented back in 2015 under the administration of then President Barack Obama. That decision by the FCC officially comes into effect as of today.
According to a report by CNET, a number of components present in the proposal to repeal the 2015 net neutrality rules will still go through a vote by the Office of Management and Budget. There is no word yet regarding when the OMB will conduct its vote. Many industry watchers, however, have noted that the OMB vote will be nothing more than a procedural step, and the 2015 net neutrality rules are basically kaput at this point.
Simply put, the net neutrality rules were proposed in order to make the information superhighway a place where any content is treated fairly and equally. But the implementation of such rules have been a hotly discussed topic during the last few years. Under the Obama administration, the FCC had a Democrat majority, and with Chairman Tom Wheeler’s leadership, the Commission had pushed to recategorize broadband services so that they would be under the rules established for telephone networks. Various mobile operators and broadband service providers had opposed this move. They argued that the 2015 net neutrality rules actually hindered investment and stifled technological innovation in the wireless industry.
By the time Donald Trump had become President of the United States in January of last year, a new FCC Chairman was appointed in the person of Ajit Pai. The Commission had also undergone some changes, now having a Republican majority. Chairman Pai had proposed to dismantle the 2015 net neutrality rules, pushing for a new set of regulations that are less strict.
Supporters of the 2015 net neutrality rules, however, are worrying that the less rigid rules being proposed by Chairman Pai will not be enough to guarantee an Internet that is fair for everyone. One of the major concerns of the supporters was that with the 2015 rules out the door, service providers would be in a position to be able to block or slow down traffic, and even offer fast lanes to parties would could afford to pay extra money in order to enjoy special access. Under the 2015 rules, the FCC had the authority to police against these practices, but under the new regulations, that power has been handed to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Because the FTC already handles consumer protection and competition for the entire economy of the country, many believe that it will not be as effective in dealing with the telecoms industry, a segment which the FCC has a better knowledge of.
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