Condolences: Net Neutrality

• As many Americans expected/feared, the FCC just voted to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules, in a contentious decision that will likely be challenged in court. As Variety reports, Internet providers will no longer be prohibited from blocking or throttling content, or dividing the web into paid ‘fast-lanes’ in which content companies can get speedier access to consumers. More than 100 protesters gathered outside of the FCC’s headquarters ahead of the ruling, which followed a 3-2 party line vote, lead by Chairman Ajit Pai and the two other Republican commissioners, Michael O’Rielly and Brendan Carr.

According to The Washington Post, “The move to deregulate the telecom and cable industry is a major setback for tech companies, consumer groups and Democrats who lobbied heavily against the decision. And it marks a significant victory for Republicans who vowed to roll back the efforts of the prior administration, despite a recent survey showing that 83 percent of Americans — including 3 out of 4 Republicans — opposed the plan.” As a special bonus, the FCC’s vote also prohibits states and localities from passing their own net neutrality rules, as they would be superseded by federal authority.

For his part, Pai (left) insists that this action would lead to greater innovation, with companies freed from heavy regulation. “It is time for the internet once again to be driven by engineers and entrepreneurs and consumers, rather than lawyers and accountants and bureaucrats,” Pai said. “It is time for us to act to bring faster, better and cheaper Internet access to all Americans.” Just as Pai was delivering his comments, security personnel briefly cleared the room due to a security issue. The meeting resumed after about 10 minutes.

FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel, both Democrats, opposed the vote. During the meeting, Clyburn said, “The public can plainly see, that a soon-to-be-toothless FCC, is handing the keys to the Internet — one of the most remarkable, empowering, enabling inventions of our lifetime — over to a handful of multi-billion dollar corporations. And if past is prologue, those very same broadband internet service providers, that the majority says you should trust to do right by you, will put profits and shareholder returns above what is best for you.” On a slightly brighter note, Clyburn said the concept of net neutrality is “about internet equality,” adding that, in the long run, “We will be victorious.”