What the FCC’s Net Neutrality Ruling Means for Consumers

FCC defrosts net neutrality once again, it’s about reinstating internet protection laws intended to prevent users from paying high prices for the same website.

In an exclusive statement to technology/fcc-vote-restore-net-neutrality-rules-reversing-trump-2024-04-02/” target=”_blank” title=”(opens in a new window)”>Reuters, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said the federal committee will vote to return net neutrality laws at the end of the month, despite ongoing internal challenges. “The pandemic has made it clear that broadband is an essential service and that each of us, no matter who we are or where we live, needs it to have a chance of succeeding in the digital age,” he said. she told the publication. “An essential service requires oversight and in this case we are simply putting back in place the rules that have already been approved by the courts and which [ensure] that access to broadband is fast, open and equitable.

But old net neutrality protections have failed to fully hold up in the United States, so what’s going on?

What is net neutrality?

Net neutrality is an anti-discrimination principle on the Internet that advocates for equal treatment of websites and services by Internet service providers (ISPs). According to its supporters, the concept guarantees fast, open and equitable broadband access for all. This is the path to a “Open Internet.“

In practice, net neutrality regulations include prohibiting ISPs from blocking (legal) websites and services under paid plans, or limiting the speed of websites depending on the plan. a customer or at the discretion of the ISP. Laws can also block the prioritization of services and providers that pay more for bandwidth access, or ensure that users from different ISPs receive similar web experiences.

For consumers, a world without net neutrality could look like Verizon striking a deal with a website or streaming service, then charging you more for access to its competitors. An ISP could censor free access to entire categories of applications. Conversely, some attribute the rise of online streaming services to past net neutrality protections, including the Disney+ acquisitions that now let you digitally stream what were once cable-only channels.

Overall, net neutrality argues that telecommunications companies should not be allowed to raise prices or build walls around digital access without government involvement.

Supporters of net neutrality laws include digital rights groups, the ACLUand even the inventor of the World Wide Web, arguing that an open market for broadband access is both a requirement for innovation and a free speech problem.

What is the United States’ position on net neutrality?

The debate between those who align with providers and those who favor more government oversight has led to a divide among political leaders, with the majority of Republican leaders favoring the former and Democrats the latter. The FCC, made up of members appointed by the president for five-year terms, tends to lean toward appointments. Major providers, like Verizon and Comcast, took net neutrality cases to court – and won.

While the FCC’s first attempt to enact net neutrality laws was in 2005, regulations were not officially adopted until a decade later, with the support of the ardently pro-neutrality Obama administration. of the Net. In a 2014 White House statement, President Barack Obama wrote: “‘Net neutrality’ has been an integral part of the Internet since its inception – but it is also a principle we cannot take for granted. We cannot allow Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to restrict access. access or to choose winners and losers in the online marketplace for services and ideas. The Obama administration’s net neutrality program, known as Open Internet Ruleincluded limits on ISP blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization.

But the 2015 regulations were repealed by a new Republican-controlled FCC only a year later, under President Donald Trump. At the time, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai argued that the regulations had a negative impact on innovative Internet investments and small providers. “These providers often serve rural and low-income areas where better internet access and competition are desperately needed. But they have been forced to spend their scarce funds on regulatory compliance rather than expanding broadband to more people. “Americans,” Pai said.

What followed were several years of failed bills to restore Obama-era laws, including a bicameral bill, known as the Save the Internet Act of 2019, introduced by Democratic lawmakers. While federal regulation stalled, states introduced their own net neutrality laws, such as California’s. Internet Consumer Protection and Net Neutrality Act of 2018.

In a Executive Order of 2021, President Joe Biden called on the FCC to reinstate net neutrality rules and require ISPs to report their subscription prices and rates directly to the FCC. Biden also defended the revival of the FCC “Broadband nutrition label,“a standardized consumer label that would provide basic information about Internet services and their prices.

How will the FCC decision affect Internet users?

A “yes” vote from the FCC would restore the protections and surveillance powers granted under the Open Internet Rule. That means federal agencies would once again require ISPs to report their speed, pricing and network management practices; this information would then be made available to customers.

Rosenworcel said it would also provide the FCC with “new national security tools,” which could impact international companies providing equipment and services to U.S. ISPs and customers. Amid growing political fears over foreign state actors online (read: Tic Tac), this fact could be the bipartisan key to restoring net neutrality to American law.

The Internet itself would not immediately change for consumers with the revival of open Internet laws, but the downstream effects could be significant for those looking for new providers, plans, services, etc.